Back to theatre

Samuel had his sixth surgical procedure this afternoon to repair the prolapsed bladder and inject dye into the kidneys to determine the path of urine flow and identify any blockages. We followed our usual route from NICU to the operating theatre in Starship hospital which we have come to know quite well. As always we were met by the cheerful theatre nurse Viv in Pre-op where final preparations are made before Samuel is wheeled through to theatre. 90 minutes later we received the call that he was out and on his way back to NICU.

The part of the bladder that had prolapsed had been pushed back in and a 16ml catheter inserted to see if urine would now drain from the bladder. The kidney dye and scan showed that Samuel has a blockage at the drainage point of the right kidney where urine flows into the uretos and down to the bladder. The left kidney contains a large blood clot which makes it difficult to identify the blockage which could be in the same place or at the bottom of the uretos where it meets the bladder. Mr Upadhyay, the operating surgeon, took time to talk through the procedure with us and explain what he found, as well as discuss further surgical options if we decide to go down that path. Tomorrow representatives from each of the specialist teams caring for Samuel - nephrology, urology, gastric, and neonatalogy, will meet together to discuss the findings from the procedure today and further options for Samuel's care.

Tonight they are hoping to return him back on to CPAP as he had to be re-intubated for the procedure today. He should be much more comfortable now that his bladder is where it should be and we are pleased to see that his creatinine has dropped to an all-time low of 33. Tomorrow's meeting will be significant in guiding the next steps and we would value your prayers to understand the medical options and discern the right way forward.