3:30pm: Here is a PDF that further explains the process of the PDA ligation: click here. And for some further reading, I found this article helpful. And for those of you that don't mind watching surgeries, here is a YouTube video actually shows the surgery (I had to stop watching as I am not sure I want to know exactly how it is going to be done on Reid).

2:00pm: Cardiology and Dr. Moore have confirmed that Reid's PDA needs to be closed for his lungs to properly heal. With that being said, they are going to ligate the PDA within the next 24 hours. Unfortunately, they will not be able to do the hernia repair at the same time as there are sterility issues. PDA ligation is considered a "clean" surgery and the hernia repair is considered "dirty" as it deals with the bowel. In addition, the PDA ligation will need to be completed in the OR (instead of bedside) due to anesthetic reasons.

Also, the antibiotics that Reid has been on for the past few days are used for pneumonia. They are not 100% convinced that it was pneumonia, but did say that it was pneumonia-like and are treating it accordingly. No wonder he was so sick. The combination of the steroids, the antibiotics and the fixing of the collapsed lung have all contributed to the success we have seen over the last three days.

Reid will answer the question as to when his hernia repair will be completed. I assume he will need at least a few days of recuperation from the PDA before they even consider the hernia repair as an option.

1:30pm: The good news is that Reid's O2 is now at 38%. The bad news is that the pulmonary hypertension is back. Not sure yet as to what they are going to do about this. My thoughts are that it may be due to the fact that they have almost completely weaned Reid off of the NO and he hasn't been increased on the Sildenafil. Not sure if there is a direct correlation there... Still no word on the surgery.

9:00am: Our little rock star had another great night. His O2 is at 40% and they were able to reduce his respiratory rate down to 19. His blood pressure medicine, dopamine, was started again yesterday for a short period of time due to his pressure being a little low. They had previously reduced his hydrocortisone which they think may have been the result of the reduction. When they increased the hydrocortisone then stopped the dopamine. His pressures seem to be OK again. We are still waiting to hear if he is going to have surgery today. His respiratory conditions clearly show that he is ready, but I imagine they will be doing an xray and ECHO prior to. Will keep the blog updated as soon as we hear anything...