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Aug. 22, 2009
stranger than fiction
Noah's broviac is, as I had guessed, un-fixable. We don't know why or how it came apart the way that it did - in fact, the doctors keep saying that they have never seen anything like this before. (Leave it to Noah!)
As discouraging and sad as it is to lose a central line after just 3 1/2 days, I figured we would come in, start an IV, pull the line, and get a new broviac. Nope. In a twist that would make Hollyworld screenwriters proud, there is a national shortage of broviacs. The hospital only has neonatal sized lines (like the teensy one in Noah) and all of the others are on backorder.
How surreal is this? How does something like this happen?? Wouldn't you think that demand for central lines would be pretty stable and predictable? It's not like broviacs are the hot new Christmas toy and manufacturers just can't keep up! Jeff used to work in management in a manufacturing environment and is utterly baffled by this as well - how on earth do manufacturers of central lines just fail to make enough?
The amazing doctors here have been working very hard and brainstorming and researching what to do for Noah. It looks like there are three options:
1) Put in a port instead of a broviac. This is a central line that does not stick out of the skin and has to be accessed with a needle. These are usually used for things like chemo, but not usually used in situations like Noah's where it would be accessed all of the time for TPN.
2) Try to hold off until the hospital can get a more appropriately sized broviac in stock. This would probably mean a PICC line. Noah sustained a lot of damage to his blood vessels during his last visit and I'm not sure that they could even get a PICC line in (this was a matter of discussion a few last week) - plus there is concern that scarring from a PICC would make a future AV Fistula harder to place.
3) Find another hospital that still has larger broviacs in stock and transport Noah by ambulance to have his surgery there.
This whole thing seems just incredible to me. I'm just thankful beyond words for our team here and all that they are doing to figure out the best plan for Noah. It is such a blessing that they were able to start formulating plans even late on a Friday night. I'm not sure when we will know which route we'll be taking, but I will update when we have information.
Please pray for wisdom for the right plan (each has very real pros and cons) and for safety in carrying out the plan. Also please pray for his new IV to hold as long as possible. It was truly heartbreaking to have to take Noah back in to the treatment room for another IV last night, and I am thankful for Noah's loving and skilled nurses.
***Please take a minute to visit Eithene's blog (link on the right) to pray for her and leave a comment. Sweet little Eithene is in the hospital even more than Noah is, and is really having a hard time right now. This whole family is very precious and needs your prayers for Eithene to feel better and for her dad Sean to find a teaching job in the next couple of weeks.
Blessings,
Kate
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Posted by 
Posted by Carla 
Posted by 
Aug. 22, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Blessings,
Taylor