Ready for Surgery!

Here is the 3D printed model of Titus's heart! Doctors used his ECHO, cath procedure measurements, and MRI information to print this 3D model. Then they met in conference on 3/4/15 and put a plan together!

The purple is the right side of his heart & the pink is the left. The valves are white & aorta is red. 

The team decided unanimously that Titus is not a good candidate for the 2 ventricle repair and will undergo the Glenn operation. While we were hoping and praying for the 2 ventricle, this was not necessarily bad news; and we are certainly grateful to even have options and access to such great medical care! The main issue with Titus's anatomy is the location of the hole and his right valve. It almost straddles the hole and the valve "strings" attach to the tip of the VSD. Right now, the valve functions perfectly and for them to close the hole they would have to baffle through that valve, risking stress or damage to a perfectly good valve. Ultimately, its better to have a strong 3 chamber circulation than a potentially weak 4 ventricle that could worsen over time.

The Glenn is a fairly easy procedure, Dr. Manning (Ty's heart surgeon) has lots of experience with this procedure, recovery is fairly quick and it will last him until he is 3-6 years old. Undergoing the Glenn also does not mean that his next step is the Fontan procedure. They are hoping in time, with more developments in the field and with Titus's growth, that they may be able to make him a 2 ventricle by that time.

Glenn Procedure

1. The lower section of the pulmonary artery (with stenosis) that should carry oxygen-poor blood into the heart is removed.
2. Oxygen-poor blood coming back from the top half of the body is diverted directly into the lungs instead of flowing back into the heart before going to the lungs.

***We appreciate everyone praying for Titus and we graciously ask for continued prayer in the coming weeks during his surgery and recovery. The recovery stage will be particularly challenging this time since he is so active and will have restrictions he will surely oppose!

Cheese! 

Evan wanted to help feed Titus so we let him give him a bottle. Titus just chewed on it :) 

Great Grandpa Ellerman and Titus. I would say Ty takes after this side of my family!

Evan and Ty love playing together. I cannot imagine 6 months from now!