Kinley update: This morning Kinley had a quick (took less than an hour) CT angiogram to make sure that right pulmonary vein is 1) still effectively facilitating blood flow between the right lung and right atrium and 2) not narrowing. They said they needed the CT angiogram because they did an echocardiogram yesterday and it was inconclusive. I’m no doctor, but that didnt surprise me because based on our first echo a couple weeks ago they had originally thought Kinley didnt even have a right pulmonary vein. The CT angiogram gives them a much better picture of everything since it’s pretty much a 3D X-ray. For those interested, I pulled some facts about CT angiograms off of Wikipedia to document here (see below). The procedure went fine and we will have those results later today or tomorrow. In other news, Dr is continuing to wean her off her nasal cannula/oxygen. She started at 5L/min and has since been reduced to 4L/min. The magic number for us is getting her down to 2L/min, since at that point nurses say Natalie will be able to breastfeed Kinley directly. Dr said this morning that he wants to bring her down to a 3L/min today. Since I had Wikipedia open already, I went ahead and pulled some interesting facts about the nasal cannula as well (see below). FEEL FREE TO STOP READING BEYOND THIS POINT. THE FOLLOWING IS NERDY MEDICAL STUFF. CT angiogram: *Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a computed tomography technique used to visualize arterial and venous vessels throughout the body. This ranges from arteries serving the brain to those bringing blood to the lungs, kidneys, arms and legs. *CT combines the use of x-rays with computerized analysis of the images. Beams of x-rays are passed from a rotating device through the area of interest in the patients body from several different angles to obtain projection images, which then are assembled by computer into a three-dimensional picture of the area being studied. *The procedure is able to detect narrowing of blood vessels in time for corrective therapy to be done. This method displays the anatomical detail of blood vessels more precisely than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound. Today, many patients can undergo CTA in place of a conventional catheter angiogram. CTA is a useful way of screening for arterial disease because it is safer and much less time-consuming than catheter angiography and is a cost-effective procedure. There is also less discomfort because contrast material is injected into an arm vein rather than into a large artery in the groin. Nasal cannula: *The nasal cannula (NC) is a device used to deliver supplemental oxygen or airflow to a patient or person in need of respiratory help. This device consists of a lightweight tube which on one end splits into two prongs which are placed in the nostrils and from which a mixture of air and oxygen flows. The other end of the tube is connected to an oxygen supply such as a portable oxygen generator, or a wall connection in a hospital via a flowmeter. *The nasal cannula was invented by Wilfred Jones and patented in 1949. *A nasal cannula is generally used wherever small amounts of supplemental oxygen are required, without rigid control of respiration, such as in oxygen therapy. Most cannulas can only provide oxygen at low flow rates—up to 5 litres per minute (L/min)—delivering an oxygen concentration of 28–44%. *The nasal cannula is often used in elderly patients or patients who can benefit from oxygen therapy but do not require it to self respirate. *A nasal cannula may also be used by pilots and passengers in small, unpressurized aircraft that do not exceed certain altitudes. The cannula provides extra oxygen to compensate for the lower oxygen content available for breathing at the low ambient air pressures of high altitude, preventing hypoxia.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 14:20:33 +0000
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