PDA Repair

Allergy Kid had his surgery to repair his PDA this last week. The hole was closed via cardiac catheterization in which a catheter was inserted in a vein near his groin, threaded up through his heart, and a small plug is inserted into the hole. There are a number of different plugs. Allergy Kid's is the Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (ADO II) which is relatively new. It uses a much smaller catheter and was developed for use on premature infants that can't use the larger catheters currently in use. Right now, if a child is born with a severe PDA that must be plugged right away, they will have open-heart surgery which has a great deal of other risks. Also, because of its shapes, the ADO II is much less likely to slip out of the hole before it is completely healed.

Only three hospitals in the US are participating in the study of this piece right now (it is pending FDA approval for use in the US following the completion of the current trials. It is already approved for use in Europe): Primary Children's in Salt Lake, a children's hospital in Ohio, and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Florida. Allergy Kid is the first child to have this plug at this hospital.

The doctor planned to have us stay overnight for observation, but Allergy Kid did so well they sent us home that evening. One thing you may have noticed about Allergy Kid are the dark circles under his eyes. Those are gone. He is still very pale, but they tell us that within a few weeks we'll start seeing some color in his face. Also...the kid has so much energy now....... It's amazing.

UPDATE: Wow. Allergy Kid has started gaining weight. He is still pretty thin, but he is the chubbiest he has been since he stopped breastfeeding at 12 months! He is doing awesome!