9/13/14 8pm update on Mary Ellen Labrecque: She has been sedated and is not aware of what is going on. They removed/lightened the sedation to check her responses and she was able to respond on cue. This is very good news. She is on the normal and expected level of life support post heart transplant. Her vital signs are following the course of transplant patients. Her platelet count is low and that is being replaced by IV. She is on the ventilator, so is on all the special machines to monitor all her internal vital signs. Her chest was not closed, just like when the bi-vads where implanted. There was a 50% chance of this happening. This allows for swelling without putting undue stress on the new heart. Plus, the bivad equipment is still in there. That will be removed/explanted when they close her chest, which wont be for a few days, pending the swelling. This is the normal course for heart transplants. She is very puffy appearing, but that is normal after a major surgery like this and being on the ventilator. This will resolve. She is currently holding her own and her team is pleased.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 23:55:04 +0000