We just spoke with the surgical resident (Elizabeth's former classmate). They have inserted a central shunt between the aorta and pulmonary artery. They first tried reopening the connection between the heart and pulmonary artery but they could not get the proper blood flow. However, with the shunt, Josiah's oxygen saturation levels are now in the 80s and his central venous pressures are hitting their target of 15.
The resident said it took them a while to connect the heart and lung machine because they couldn't get his blood thinned to the desired levels.
As of the time of this writing (5:00 PM), they have finished up all the procedures, but now they need to stop his bleeding and sew up his chest, which will likely take another few hours. After that, the surgeon will be able to chat with us while Josiah is returned to his room.
Over the next 24-48 hours they will need to closely monitor Josiah's blood flow to ensure it is not too high. If it is too high, they would need to band the shunt in order to restrict the amount.
So, the waiting to see Josiah is not over, but at least we are very encouraged by the progress. Thank you Jesus for gifted doctors and staff, and for helping Josiah today.
Blessings,
Graham and Elizabeth
Thanks for the update--lots of hugs and love to all of you from Craig and Cindy.
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