No pigtail drain yet

Doctors are holding off on putting in a pigtail drain to get rid of the fluid around Riley's stomach for now because the risks outweigh the benefits. There is concern that it will cause too much bleeding becasue his clotting factors are off. They will continue watching the fluid and if his stomach becomes hard or the pool of fluid becomes too large things may change, but for now, they are holding off.

With the help of another dose of FFP (fresh frozen plasma) and an increase in his epinephrine medicine, we are seeing his blood pressure crawl into the high 70s and low 80s. Unfortunately those are only short-term boosts. But we need to keep doing them. The hope is that his cardiac output will increase soon and organs will wake up. In the meantime, he will continue to get medical assistance.

The nice pink color we saw right after surgery has diminished with his low cardiac output and his extremeties are mottled and blue. Basically all of his energy is working to keep his vital organs as healthy as possible. In the meantime, he remains in deep sedation (a drug-induced coma) to help his body rest. We can't thank you enough for all of your love and support.

(This blog will provide Riley's medical updates. To read about his mother's state of mind, go here.)