Well, Andrew's arterial line came out this morning. This line, aside from being where they draw blood, is also hooked up to a blood pressure monitor, so they can keep track of his mood and general health. When the BP sensor flatlines on the monitor, that means it's not getting a good signal. In the past few days, it's gone flat several times, but moving his arm, moving the sensor, or letting his muscles relax has always allowed it to recover. This morning they weren't getting a signal, so they tried to fix it physically, and they weren't able to keep it in. So, the doctor whose lines "never budge," who is one of only two doctors that can get arterial lines in the armpit, was apparently unsuccessful this time, leaving us to wonder what will happen when it's put in by less of an expert. It's barely possible to stay in for less than 2.5 days, which is how long this one lasted.
As much as we'd like to get in a really satisfying "I told you so," the situation is far too important to be distracted with that. For now, he's been given a sedative and paralytic so they could mess with the line, and he's back up to full vent settings. They'll have to sedate him again when they put another line in, assuming they are able. Apparently they expect to turn the ventilator settings down much quicker this time, so he might only miss a single sprint. We'll talk to the doctors this afternoon about the plan moving forward.
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