Aspiration Pneumonia at UVA

Shaun developed a fever and difficulty breathing this past weekend and on Monday went to the INOVA ER to get checked out.  They were sent home with antibiotics and the next day UVA doctors said they wanted him to come down.  They were supposed to be going there on Tuesday for diagnostic testing and a care plan, but when they got there they Shaun was too sick and ended up being admitted with aspiration pneumonia and a collapsing airway. Again.

Right now the first concern is to get Shaun through this bout of pneumonia.  He was on the peds floor requiring high flow oxygen, up to 7L per nasal cannula and a blow-by mask for his mouth, and his oxygenation saturation level was still dropping lower than they should be.   The nighttime PICU doctor just made the decision to transfer Shaun to the PICU due to the possibility of him requiring CPAP to keep his O2 sats where they need to be - especially when he is sleeping. 

Since arrival to UVA, Shaun has been seen by the pulmonologists, neurologists, and gastrointestional (GI) doctors, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and the palliative care team.  This team of health care workers are working on a plan of action for Shaun: to keep him from being in the hospital every other week and to see how to move forward from this point.  

One of the main factors would be to prevent the frequent aspiration from occurring. The  GI doctors think that Shaun is aspirating from his oral secretions while the pulmonologists think that he is aspirating his stomach contents.  They will hopefully do a milk contrast study to determine the cause of aspiration and then take the necessary precautions to prevent further aspiration (anywhere from a Nissen fundoplication to a tracheostomy has been laid out as a possible solution).  

As you can imagine... this is a lot.  

Denise and Peter are taking it as it comes... and as hard as it is on them - Stephen and (especially) Scottie are really feeling the affects of Shaun's illnesses and all that it means for their family.  There are so many stressors on them at this time (Shaun's repeated illnesses, Mommy being away for extended period of times, still being out of their home), the entire Steyaert family needs prayer and support.  I know they are continuously overwhelmed by so many who have shown them love with meals, child care, hospitality - and they are so very grateful.  Please continue to pray for Shaun, Denise, Peter, Stephen, and Scottie.