August 22 - Cardiology

Max had his cardiology appointment today. Unfortunately, Meaghan got sick at school today and was sent home, so I left work to help out. In the end, Melanie stayed home with Meaghan and I took Max to the cardiologist.

Based on how full the waiting room was, I worry that cardiac issues are becoming epidemic among kids. Eventually, Max and I were ushered in. First, a nurse gave Max an EKG. Then, a tech took us to a separate room for an echocardiogram (ultrasound). This machine was much nicer than the ones Max had in the NICU. This one had color, like a doppler radar. I could tell there was a lot of data, but I couldn't make sense out of any of it.

Now the good news...

The cardiologist said that not only was Max' PDA beginning to heal itself, but that the ductus opening had shrunk to a "pinhole". He described the hole as passing red blood cells single-file, one at a time. Therefore... (drum roll)

Max will not need to have a second PDA ligation operation.