Preparations

Matt, the girls, and I met with Dr. Kaushal on Tuesday and he was still very confident that he would be able to get away with making Adriana's heart a 2-ventricle heart. This would mean only one surgery, and no installment of any conduits (conduit installment = Rastelli Procedure). However, Matt and I gave him consent to place the conduit if he finds that the angle of her aorta will hinder blood flow, or her pulmonary stenosis is too much to be tackled by patch-work.

It is important to know that there are risks--as with every surgery. Dr. Kaushal's track record is encouraging and he is knowledgeable. He wanted us to know that the risks (stroke, infection, death) are less than 1%.

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers,and well-wishes. Thank you to all who travel and donate money to help us out. It really means a lot. It helps to know we are surrounded by great family and friends.

Because I am asked often, here is a list of her defects. Feel free to Google:

* Dextrocardia (this will remain forever)

* Double-outlet right ventricle (Will fix by closing holes, making it a 2-ventrical heart with arteries pulling from seperate ventricles)

* Moderate to large secundum atrial septal defect with bidirectional shunting (this hole will not affect her, as it is in the atriums, so it will be left alone)

* Large subaortic ventricular septal defect with overriding aorta (Hopefully will fix with closing hole so aorta can start pulling from left ventricle)

* Additional moderate to large muscular septal defect (VSD) and additional smaller apical muscular VSD (Will close carefully)

* Bicuspid pulmonary valve with severe pulmonary valve stenosis (Hoping to fix with patch-work instead of a conduit)

* Severe supravalvar, valvar, and subvalvar pulmonary stenosis (hoping to fix with patch-work... or will have to fix with same conduit listed above)