The last couple of postings indicated the remarkable change in Nancy with the insertion of the intra-aortic balloon pump. This was the hoped for result because it shows that improved heart function will likely bring adequate oxygenated blood flow to Nancy’s body.
The nature of this artificial assist is such that it cannot be continued indefinitely – although it can be in place for more than a few days. The issue is that while Nancy needs open heart surgery she is in poor health. A few days with the balloon pump assist and good nutrition makes sense but a prolonged delay provides additional time for more complications from the already compromised heart.
The surgeon who will perform Nancy’s operation had reviewed her case and visited her yesterday while she was sleeping. During my mid-day visit today, he met with the two of us. This was a general discussion about the issue of valve leakage and the effects on heart and body health. A few months ago we obtained a book on heart valve surgery and I’ve taken a lot of material off of the Web, and so we are not unaware of the material discussed today with the surgeon. For someone in Nancy’s state of health, open heart surgery is dangerous. There isn’t an alternative.
The team of doctors includes the surgeon, a cardiologist, hematologist, pulmonologist, and anesthesiologist – maybe more. These folks will meet early next week to consider the pending surgery. As of Noon today neither the meeting of “The Team” nor the surgery have been scheduled.
After our meeting with the surgeon Nancy had another ‘high nutrition’ drink and went to sleep.