Tag: Lamberti

Friday, 24 Sep 2004

Friday, September 24 ( 7 pm ): The last 24 hours have been fairly busy for little Gabriella. Early yesterday evening Dr. Lamberti and team closed GG’s chest. The two-hour procedure was completed without incident. Gabriella tolerated the procedure very well – all of her “numbers” looked good through out the closing and overnight. It is absolutely amazing how closely she is monitored.

During the initial surgery on the 21st pressure sensors were placed in and around her heart. These sensors will be removed, one by one, as her condition improves. Just a few hours ago they removed the sensor from her pulmonary artery and another sensor from the upper left chamber of her heart.

But the best news is her lungs are working incredibly well – her oxygen saturation rates have remained in the high 90 percent range even though they have reduced the percentage of oxygen she is receiving through the ventilator.  She will likely remain on the ventilator and in the ICU over the weekend.

We feel very positive about her progress but still remain guarded, as setbacks are not uncommon in the ICU.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday, 22 Sep 2004

Wednesday, September 22: Gabriella remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following her heart surgery yesterday. Her condition is stable and she looks a bit more pink than she did immediately after surgery. All signs indicate the repairs to her heart are successful. Additionally, no adverse reactions – such as a stroke, or damage to her liver, kidneys, or other organs – have been noted. Dr. Lamberti is pleased with her progress and he anticipates closing her chest tomorrow night or on Friday. The reason he decided not to close her chest is because her lungs are swollen with fluid – a condition not uncommon in this type of case. We have great confidence in her caregivers, especially the ICU nurses. They NEVER leave her side.

We are grateful for all of the emails of support and apologize that we are not able to respond to them. Several of you have asked for our mailing address her in Palo Alto, it is:

The Gentry Family
1812 Sand Hill Road Apt# 207
Palo Alto, CA 94304-2135

God Bless you all for your support and thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 21 Sep 2004

Tuesday, September 21 (1400 Update): Dr. Lamberti just came out of surgery and updated us. Initial report very positive. Good repairs within the heart: – hole in Septum was very large – Septum Patch holding well – Both Valves and all flaps operating as desired – No apparent damage to heart’s natural “pacemaker” nerve so no need for artificial pacemaker.

Dr. Lamberti did not close sternum at this time to avoid increased pressure on lungs and heart – Sternum to be closed in 24-72 hrs, once swelling has gone down. Nothing unusual about this aspect of the procedure – Mom and Dad to see GG in ICU within the hour. Details to follow…

Thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 21 Sep 2004

Tuesday, September 21 (Gabriella is Three Months Old Today!): At 0700 this morning we handed little Gabriella over to the doctors from the anesthesia team. We sent her off on her big adventure with lots of hugs and kisses and prayers – and more than just a few tears. She assured us that she is ready.

Over the weekend she was in fine form. She slept and slept and slept some more. It was almost as if she could sense the challenge ahead and was resting up for it. Finally, we were pleasantly surprised by her weight this morning: 5 Kilos or 11 pounds.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thursday, 02 Sep 2004

Thursday, 02 September: Today, we met with Dr. Lamberti, the surgeon who will repair Gabriella’s heart. He was in Hawaii this week performing heart operations on children from underprivileged families, something he does approximately five times each year.

He was everything we had hoped and expected him to be: calm, compassionate and professional. He was very straight forward in describing the operation, including the risks and various complications which may present themselves during and after the surgery. He answered all of our questions, including Cousin Shelley’s (it will be a transverse incision) and we feel very comfortable with him.

After our hour-long meeting he took us up to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where two of his patients were recovering. He took each of us, individually, in to see his patients. Although it was a heart wrenching experience, seeing an infant in the trauma that follows open-heart surgery, we realize we needed to be “prepared” for when we see little Gabriella in the ICU. We are still digesting all that we saw and heard today.

Thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 31 Aug 2004

Tuesday, 31 August:

Big News # 1 Gabriella has topped the 9 pound mark and is still growing!

Big News # 2 We now have a date for Gabriella’s heart surgery at Stanford – 28 September 2004.

The surgeon who will perform the operation, Dr John Lamberti, is in Hawaii this week and we are scheduled to meet with him this Thursday. We have great faith and confidence in the Stanford medical team, as they are exceptionally skilled in this type of surgery.

Please take a moment to read the following story about an operation the Stanford team performed on a tiny baby: Packard Heart Surgeon Performs Operation on Smallest Infant.

This morning we headed to Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) to meet with Gabriella’s Cardiologist, Dr. Mahnke, regarding her elevated temperature and the associated tests. All of the tests came back negative, so it is doubtful she has an infection. Nevertheless, we continue to give her Tylenol to keep the fever in check and that seems to be working.

Thank you for your prayers.