The Next 24 to 48 Hours

While the team is working on closing Liv up, the next 24 to 48 hours are going to be huge obstacles.  There's a large risk of issues bleeding given that this is her fourth time in the OR.  Risk of infection is huge.  She could have an acute rejection of the heart which would mean some really desperate measures needing to be taken. It's possible that all her down time in the OR and on bypass could have done some neurological damage.  Risk of stroke post-op is high as well as the body gets acclimated to the new circulation once again.

None of these are huge from the perspective of percents, but they all carry some serious consequences that I would be remissed not to at least tell you the information at hand.  I haven't seen a transplant yet face to face however I'm expecting her to come out of the OR on as many medication pumps and drips as she did immediately following the Norwood which was somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 to 16.  She will need blood, she will have an NG tube for nutrition, she will be sedated, paralyzed and intubated for the next couple of days.

I am so speechless at the opportunity she has been given at maintaining a normal life but I know this reward is not without its risks.