Mon 12/22/08 - - Infection Takes Its Toll

Following a night of fever and speculation of a possible infection (and a first-round dose of vancomycin antibiotics), Ava went into septic shock.

During an routine echo during the morning labs and work up, a vegetation (clot) was revealed near Ava's tricuspid heart valve. Though it was not apparent whether or not the vegetation was infected or was simply a routine blood clot, Ava went into a septic shock and had to go back on the ventilator.

During the septic shock Ava quit coherently responding and her right-side appendages started to turn purple.

All of us were deeply scared and concerned at this point.
Ava simply took a turn for the worse, and we were not sure if she was going to make it or not.

Following being put on the ventilator and the adjustment of her meds Ava became stable. Blood cultures still did not come back yet with anything detailed yet (though a quick report yielded there was an infection), so it was unsure of :
1. What type infection we were up against
2. How she became infected

The plan laid out by the attending PICU doctor, surgeon, and infections disease doctor was to intravenously attack the infection with vancomycin, oxacillin, and gentimycin. The hope is that the antibiotics will do the trick.