The heart catheterization went very well yesterday! The doctor was able to close the PDA and he is optimistic about the possibility to close the ASD at some point in the future. There is some damage to the pulmonary arteries, but he said that some of that may be reversible. The plan was for Joel to come to the regular floor after the cath, but the doctor decided instead to send him to ICU instead and keep him sedated and on the ventilator for the night. He just felt that this was a more cautious approach to keep his blood pressures down (by keeping him from waking up and getting excited). There is a (very small) risk that the device used to close the PDA could come loose and move out of its' intended location. That would be a severe complication, but the chances of that happening are very small (even less than 1 %). Nevertheless, keeping him sedated overnight was a precaution to keep his pressures lower, and lessen the risk of that happening even more.
Up until this point, Joel has not been on any medication for his heart, but he will be from this point forward. The medicine should keep his pulmonary pressures down, to minimize further damage while we wait to find out if repairing the ASD can happen.
We are so very thankful for all of this, and we are so blessed that God has chosen us to be Joel's parents and watch His plans for Joel's life unfold.
