Graysen went to the pediatric cardiologist today. The doctor was so impressed with Graysen's growth that he printed this chart for us. Graysen weighs 13 pounds and is in the 37th percentile. He is 23 inches long. He continues to amaze doctors with how strong he is.
His blood oxygen level averaged 85. This is exactly where the pediatric cardiologist wants it to be. It means that the ratio of blood going to the lungs versus the body is 50/50. The doctor is not concerned about his lungs being flooded anymore. The reason that the blood flow is more even now is because Graysen has grown a lot in the past 2.5 months, while his shunt to the lungs does not grow. Thus, the ratio of the size of his aorta to the size of his shunt is now 50/50, while before the shunt was much larger than the aorta. As he grows more, the aorta will become much larger than the shunt, which means that the lungs will get less blood flow, causing his oxygen levels to drop. They will allow his levels to go into the 70's before they become concerned. His next surgery should happen about the time that his levels start becoming too low, at which time he will receive a larger shunt along with the Rastelli procedure.
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