Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Essay

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“Hypoplastic left heart syndrome accounts for 9% of all critically ill newborns with congenital cardiac disease, causing the largest number of cardiac deaths in the first year of life.(2) ” HLHS is a severe heart defect that is present at birth. HLHS combines different defects that result in an underdeveloped left side of the heart. This syndrome is one of the most challenging and difficult to manage of all of the congenital heart defects. Multiple portions on the left side of the heart are affected including the left ventricle, the mitral and aortic valve, and the ascending aorta. These structures are greatly reduced in size, or completely nonexistent causing the functionality of the left heart to be reduced, or non-functional all together. …show more content…

During pregnancy an echocardiogram of the fetus can be done to produce images of the heart by sending ultrasonic sound waves to the vital organ. These sound waves create an image for the physician to analyze the babies heart function, structure sizes, and blood flow. A positive diagnosis before birth has shown to improve chances of survival, and will allow for appropriate care to be readily available at birth. If a baby is born without being diagnosed with the heart defect, some symptoms previous noted such as low oxygen levels can be suggestive of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The baby may not display any symptoms or signs for hours after birth because of the openings allowing for blood to be pumped to the rest of the body. However, listening to the babies heart can revel a murmur indicating an irregular flow of blood in the heart. If a murmur is heard, or signs of the defect are observed, diagnostic tests will be ordered and performed. An echocardiogram is still the go-to test once the baby is born to evaluate the heart. The echocardiogram will diagnose the newborn, by revealing the underdeveloped left ventricle, mitral and aortic valve, and the ascending aorta commonly seen in

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