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Jim Bingle – Friday 2:30 p.m. Update

by Bingle on Sep.07, 2007, under Jim Bingle

Dad is out of surgery and in ICU.

We got to talk to the surgeon and see Dad for a few minutes.

According to the surgeon, the valve was very calcified and definitely needed to be replaced, which it was (with a pig valve). They did a single bypass to the artery that had the stent placed in it back in July. They ended up using an artery/vein from the left leg for the bypass. They had a bit of an issue getting the breathing tube down, but that seemed like the only complication during the surgery.

Dad is still under the anesthesia. They don’t reverse it, rather just let him wake up from it. He opened an eye once or twice while we were in there, but you could tell he wasn’t really awake. ICU visiting minutes are at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. tonight, but the nurse said he wouldn’t be any more awake at 5 p.m. than he was at 2:30.

They are leaving the breathing tube in until they are sure that he isn’t having any difficulty breathing on his own, especially since the tube was somewhat difficult to get in in the first place. He is also on a “balloon pump” that apparently is a balloon in the chest that beats with the heart beat-for-beat to assist it until it regains strength. They will eventually have it assist every other, then every third, then every fourth, etc. until they are convinced that the assistance is no longer necessary at which time it will be removed.


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