It may be a possibility that no parent would love to contemplate, but sometimes nature deals a cruel hand and the requirement of newborn heart surgery has to be considered by new parents.
The good news is however newborn heart surgery has improved very significantly in recent times and it is safe to say that chances of survival have never been better, whereas earlier only one in ten babies may have survived the ordeal of heart surgery.
There are some babies born with a rare congenital defect, called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS for short which will require surgery.
While still in the womb, the baby’s heart’s left side does not develop properly; the mitral and aortic valves, the first part of the aorta itself, and the left ventricle of the heart are small, underdeveloped or nonexistent.
The surgery required correcting this anomaly, the Norwood Surgery is very complex and involves high risk; though now, with modern advancements of surgical techniques and medications, survival rates have been boosted considerably – 80% of children now survive this surgery.
And it isn’t just the surgical methods that are improving; it is also the post surgical care that these infants get, that improves their chances.
