Understanding Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
When a person is said to have hypoplastic left heart syndrome, it means that he has abnormalities in the left side of his heart. His left ventricle, aorta, aortic valve, and mitral valve are underdeveloped. He most probably has atrial septal defect and so the blood flows through the wall of the atria instead.
And because the left side of the heart failed to grow fully, the right side has to assume the job the left side cannot do. The right side of the heart has to do twice the job because aside from the fact it has to send blood throughout the body, it also needs to pump out blood from the lungs.
Symptoms of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
This type of disease can be congenital; meaning newly born babies may acquire it during their births. They would initially seem normal the moment when they are born, but after a few days of birth they would have difficulty in breathing as well as feeding. During which time, their heart’s ductus closes thus giving rise to this particular disease. This is actually fatal for them, so medical attention is required.
Cyanosis is the first symptom of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Cyanosis is when the oxygen content in the blood becomes low and the vital body organs like the lungs and the heart are affected.
People suffering from hypoplastic left heart syndrome are also observed to have weak pulse. This is usually in line with the respiratory problems they are experiencing. The underlying problem of their heart also has a lot to do with this symptom.
And aside from all of these, severe shocks are also projected. When it doees happen, seizures, liver failure, and renal failure are the most common results. Their cardiac condition is expected to become worse in time. Some of these stated complications are reversible, but others are not. It mostly depends on the severity of the patient’s case.
Diagnosis of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
There are two common tests used to diagnose hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The more popular of the two is echocardiogram. An echocardiogram device can produce an image of the heart and so the anatomy of the cardiac structure is detected. The size of the heart’s affected valves can also be estimated because through tool. Performing echocardiogram on a patient is very important because of the atrial septal defect that is very likely to develop because of the disease.
Cardiac catheterization is also used. But for infants, this is rarely used. With this method, a catheter or a small tube is inserted through a person’s blood vessels to determine the severity of the disease present in them. Adults may benefit from this, but babies not always do.
Treatment of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
In reality, hypoplastic left heart syndrome is not fully correctable. But more often than not, newborns may recover from the disease through a series of operation, or through a heart transplant. If an operation cannot be carried out immediately, patients can be treated temporarily through the use of intravenous medication, which keeps the ductus open.
Heart transplant is the ultimate treatment for this disease. But even after it is performed, the medications do not stop there. Therapy has to be conducted so that the body won’t reject the newly transplanted heart. This can be done through drugs, monitoring, and regular diagnosis of other heart diseases that are likely to arise.
Problems like endocarditis are expected. Endocarditis is an infection of the heart’s valves. For this, antibiotics are prescribed, and they are given usually before an appointment with the dentist or before any other surgery. Even though the heart is supposed to be cured by the heart transplant performed, patients are still required to take heart medicines right after the operation for health maintenance.
