Weds 12/24/08 - - Christmas Eve

Both sets of grandparents stayed the night following Ava's second surgery to help support Teresa and I. The nursing staff was busy, constantly tweaking meds to stabilize Ava's heart function and blood pressure. Though it was hard, Teresa and I were able to get some sleep.

In the early AM the echo revealed that there were no new masses visible on Ava's heart valve though there was some regurgitation or leaking present. Overall the staff of the PICU as well as the cardiologists and surgeons by how well Ava was responding though really starting to swell at this point (she was again put on the artificial heart-lung machine, however, unlike the first surgery her heart was not stopped).

The blood cultures that have been drawn daily up to this point have all came back positive with the staph infection. The growing concern is that this is an advanced strain called MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) which is difficult-to-treat in humans.

• 12/21
• 12/22

At this point the goal is to keep Ava stabilized and routinely running the vancomycin, oxacillin, and gentimycin antibiotics intravenously to help her fight the infection.

Still taking things day-by-day, but very thankful that Ava has progressed this far.