The vent switch-over isn’t going to happen today. We thought it was going to happen at 3pm when they brought the new vent into his room. However, they first wanted to make sure he could tolerate a reduction in pressure on his oscillator. While he did very well under a lower pressure setting, there were three other patients whose crises required the attention of the staff, so they decided to postpone changing Tyler’s vent until tomorrow. They want to make sure they are not spread too thinly in case the switch causes a crisis for Tyler. Meanwhile they believe that being on a lower pressure will help with the air buildup in his tissue. This has now spread from his neck to his sides and abdomen and is caused by the high pressures he’s been exposed to for the past 6 days. A new concern arose today when Tyler couldn’t receive the platelets he needed due to a reaction. They will try again later tonight. It’s critical he gets platelets because his counts are low and the defibrotide can cause serious internal bleeding. They continue to try to figure out why his bilirubins are rising. For now we’re praying for a quiet night and a successful switch-over to the APRV vent tomorrow!
