Well, as of Monday afternoon, she was sewed up…
As of yesterday, she’s still on a ventilator.
Sounds like progress to me. Hope it continues!
Amazing. I’m hoping for the best.
Latest news indicates that while her heart is beating, it’s also being assisted by some sort of balloon pump in her leg vein. She’s still on the ventilator, her “numbers” are good, the doctors are pleased.
Her family is starting to breathe a little easier, as it’s looking like she’ll pull through.
As to what kind of long-term damage this scenario may have caused, I have no idea. I’ll be interested to see what kind of recuperation time she’ll be looking at. Anyone care to speculate?
I’m not surprised! What a terrifying experience. I hope she continues to improve; be sure to keep us updated. 
After my mother’s second heart surgery she had the balloon assist pump and was on a ventilator for weeks, but made a good recovery and lived nearly 25 more years after that. She wasn’t left open after the surgery, but I know of two people who went through several days of that then went on to recover and continue living for some good years after that.
In other words, although this is scary and horribly serious stuff it really is possible for people to go through things like this, recover, and get back to their lives. I can’t say if the woman in question will be one of the fortunate ones or not, I am merely offering these anecdotes to show that there is still reason to be hopeful.
As of Saturday morning, she’s about the same. Still closed, still on the balloon pump, still on the ventilator.
No infections so far (which are apparently a big pitfall to avoid), and she’s awake for a fair amount of time each day, watching TV shows and such. Things are looking pretty good.
Thank you so much for the update, and I hope that things continue to go well.
Likewise - hope the good news continues!
Yahoo! Or, yehaw!
What’s the latest?
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It has taken me a while to get back to this thread (if it falls off the “new posts” for me I don’t see it, since that’s what I do…) but this is good news! Very positive. It sounds like she is on the right road now and I want to add my thoughts and voice for continued recovery and more good news very soon.
I want to add too, as a former RT, do not let her still being on a ventilator worry you too much. That will be one of the last machines to go simply because it can do so much to help her rest, and take the pressure off the cardiovascular system. As long as she has O2 and breaths pumping into her, that is one less thing for her body to worry about and it can it on with the business of healing…
She’s not doing that great… 1 week after getting closed up, she’s still on the ventilator and getting heart assistance as well. Apparently the heart damage is pretty extensive.
They did briefly try to take her off the ventilator a few days ago, but less than an hour later they intubated her again when they just couldn’t keep her oxygen levels up.
I’m going to mention my mother again, who after her second heart surgery spent weeks on a ventilator, but did, eventually, recover and live many more years.
It’s serious, it’s horrible, but it’s not entirely hopeless at this point.
I’ll second this. Re-intubation after the first (even second) weaning attempt is not unheard of. It’s not great, but it’s not the worst thing either.
She has been through a lot and she has a long road ahead of her, but remaining optimistic at this point can (and should) be done. Whatever heart assistance she is getting now will take some of the work off the heart muscle, and the ventilator will keep her O2 up and decrease the work of her pulmonary system (in my previous post I said “cardiovascular system” when I meant “cardiopulmonary” not that it makes a great difference…) In any case, intubation alone isn’t a huge cause for concern…many reasons for it and many different vent settings to be used, so even though that is scary, it isn’t a death sentence…many people will come off the vent several weeks, even months after such a complicated cardiac incident and of course some will never come off the vent, but we won’t get into that right now…just keep in mind that home vents are much more common today than ever, so even being vent-dependent isn’t the worst thing that can happen.
I will be thinking of her and her family, and hoping for a better update soon.
Likewise, most definitely.
Well, she’s finally off the ventilator, but that’s about the extent of the good news. She’s been placed on the heart transplant list, and will be sent home to bide her time in a week or two.
No telling how long it might take, but in the meantime, she’s happy enough to be headed home.
Thank God for this! Is she hooked up to anything, or just doing the med stuff?
Best wishes,
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Wanted to provide a little update on this case for the people who were interested… it’s been a few months now and she’s doing great at home with the heart-assist pump (LVAD). She’s on the heart transplant list, and is looking into possibly returning to work before the end of the summer.
She’ll be featured on the cover of Baylor Health magazine next month - anyone who’d like to see the article, send me a PM and I’ll forward it your way.
Excellent, glad to hear it. I hope she doesn’t have to wait long for a new heart.
Well, a little update again… it sounds like she’s had a major setback. She had been trying to cope with a lengthy difficult to treat infection in her lines for several months now, but was still working and living a fairly normal life until yesterday.
Apparently she’s had a stroke, and is back in the hospital, on a ventilator.