Dad was wheeled back around 6:30AM.
We had a sweet time last night with him - just Spence, Mom and I.
It's weird to think that they are cracking his sternum open, and cutting and tying arteries to his heart. I'm grateful that it's an "off pump" surgery, meaning, Dad's heart will keep pumping throughout the procedure versus inserting a pump to do the work. During an on-pump surgery,
...the heart is stopped, and blood is rerouted through a separate cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machine. The heart is filled with a solution to keep it still. Throughout the procedure, the pump takes over the function of the heart and lungs and supplies oxygenated blood to the body. Following placement of the grafts, blood flow is restored and the heart restarted.So you can see why I'm thankful.
Thanks again for your prayers.
