Pre-op day

Coop did so good today and was so brave. Surgery is tomorrow at 9 AM and should be about 6 hours. Dr. Dearani, his surgeon said he is going to exhaust all his efforts to try to avoid a valve replacement and go for the cone repair. He said there looks like there's a good amount of leaflet tissue to use and he feels like the cone should work.

There are the kids who he sees that he feels like they will likely not need the glenn and those he feels will definitely need it. Cooper falls in the gray zone and he will not know till he finalizes the repair and takes him off the heart & lung machine.

There were a few things we weren't expecting today. We learned that there is a 50% chance he will need another surgery in the future. They have only been actively performing the cone technique for 5-7 years so it's hard to say what long term results will be. We were hoping this would be the last surgery but it's just the way the heart world goes. So many dang variables and unknowns, especially with Ebsteins.

He also said that we won't know how completely successful it has been till 6-12 months down the road because they will be manipulating his right ventricle to do something it's never had to do before, pump blood. So initially it will be worse before it gets better. He may have to leave his chest open for a few days because the ventricle will be more swollen and then go in and close him in the OR, but he could also be closed right after. Even when you know in your mind these things are a possibility it is still hard to hear. But overall we are hopeful and Dr. Dearani is confident in his abilities to help Cooper's heart.