Brody's condition became critical during the night as his body tried to regulate its blood pressure. His blood pressure became dangerously low. It was determined he had low blood volume. They gave him three different IV medications to increase his pressure as well as two blood transfusions. His pressure has stabilized now and they are weening him off of the blood pressure medicine.

He is back on the old ventilator and his lungs are doing well.

Of greatest concern now is his gastrointestinal system. When the PDA is open for as long as it was, the bloodflow goes to the most critical parts of his body, such as the brain, heart, and lungs. The gut and kidneys are the last priority, so it can cause some stress to the intestinal tract. His tummy has been distended, although it looks pretty good today. During an abdominal ultrasound, it was found that he has inflammation in his intestinal lining. This inflammatory process can cause holes in the intestinal lining, leading to a perforation. This needs to be watched extremely close because if a perforation were to occur, immediate surgery would be required. He was given a full spectrum of antibiotics just in case and the surgeon was on hand last night while they ultrasound was being done. It was determined that there was no immediate danger of perforation, however, they are doing constant monitoring of the inflammatory process.

We were told today to expect to be here at least another 2 weeks from today. Brody needs to be near the surgeons in case something happens in his intestines.