Will went to the University of Utah Cardiovascular Clinic to get a follow-up trans-thoracic echocardiogram (TTE) to check the placement of the Cribiform Occluder that closed the PFO.
Tracy and Adam were the technicians. Sarah and I watched on the monitor. We saw where the blue blood was going into the heart chambers and the red blood was coming out. The valves were opening and closing to allow for the flow of blood. The device itself appeared as a shiny object which seemed to be well-anchored, but you really couldn’t tell if the fibers of the heart were growing into the mesh of it or not. The technicians were specifically instructed not to do the bubble test, so this was a slight departure from the TTE we saw after the closure of the PFO.
After the TTE, we went to exam room #11 where Will was given an EKG by Michelle. That showed no abnormalities at all.
When Dr. Stilianos Efstratiadis came in, he said he and Dr. Michaels had looked at the TTE and were pleased to see that the PFO had been closed and the atrial septal aneurysm had been stabilized. Dr. Efstratiadis said Will’s chances of suffering another stroke were about 0%. That was very good news indeed. Will will be on Plavix and baby aspirin until October. At that time, if things continue to go well, they will discontinue the Plavix. He will be on baby aspirin for the rest of his life. He is also to avoid contact sports for the next five months, but is encouraged to jog, swim, play basketball and do other heart-strengthening exercises.
*(a note from Sarah) I'd like to apologize for the lack of pictures. We took pictures specifically to put on the blog, but due to a camera malfunction, were not able to retrieve them. Sorry.
*(a note from Sarah) I'd like to apologize for the lack of pictures. We took pictures specifically to put on the blog, but due to a camera malfunction, were not able to retrieve them. Sorry.
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