Alexander made a brief return to the operating room to have a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter). They insert an IV line using X-ray as a guide into his upper arm and guide the line into the superior vena cava (a big, fast-flowing vein) to obviate the need to continually stick him for IV’s and blood draws. They can do both using this line and it’s much longer lasting than your average IV. That’s good considering his veins are once again pretty much shot with all of the sticks he’s had.
The idea behind the line (other than to stop using the boy as a pin-cushion) is that if push comes to shove, nutrition and fluids can go in that way for at least the short term. We might well take him home with that line in place as a backup in case he decides to make some bug nice and welcome and get sick on us.