Cardiology Appointment

On April 7th, Evin has her annual cardiology appointment.  We started a tradition where she wears a heart shirt to her heart appointments.  She looked pretty cute, if you ask me!

Cheeeeese.

She had her typical heart appointment workup, including an EKG and an echocardiogram.

Her O2 sats were at 99%...I don't think it will ever get old seeing a number that high.

Thanks to the trusty iPhone, Evin held mostly still during the echo.  I am able to sit right there with her and talk to her as they are running the test, which is helpful.

Her cardiologist said her heart "looks good".  

There are 2 things we have really been keeping an eye on since her repair surgery, one being the size of her branch arteries and the other being the pressure in her right ventricle.

Her branch arteries are still on the small side, her right being at about 6mm (stayed the same), and the left being about 5mm (she said this one was hard to see).  She said they look about the same that they did last July, maybe slightly better.  

Her right ventricle pressure was lower than it was last appointment.  It was 46 today vs. 55 last July.  She said this is still a little high, but in the acceptable range.  It is just something to keep an eye on in future appointments.  

Evin is "where we would expect her to be" and she reassured us once more that everything looked good.  She did remind us that if her branch arteries don't grow as she grows, there is a possibility of a heart cath in her future.  

2 side notes:

 -I had read online that heart babies should not be given Orajel or similar medicines for teething because it can alter their oxygen saturation and heart rate to dangerous levels.  I asked the nurse about this and after checking into it, she confirmed that it would not be a good idea to give Evin Orajel for teething.

-Evin will make her first dental visit sometime this year, and she will have to have a dose of Amoxicillin beforehand in order to prevent her from an infection called SBE (subacute bacterial endocarditis).  When a dental procedure is performed on a child and there can be bleeding bacteria in the mouth that gets into the bloodstream and travels throughout the body. This doesn't cause problems in heart healthy people because our normal defense mechanisms are able to destroy the germs as they make their way through various organs. However, if there is an abnormal area inside the heart, such as an abnormal opening or a damaged heart valve, these bacteria can attach themselves to these areas, multiply, and cause an infection in the heart lining and muscle.  It is a very serious medical condition and requires several weeks of IV antibiotics to cure.  This is just another extra precaution we will have to take to ensure that our Heart Hero stays healthy.

So proud of her!

We will go back to the cardiologist in a year.

We went out for breakfast after to celebrate Evin's positive report.  I don't think she minded the extra time with Mommy & Daddy. :)