Birth Defect: Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Today there is advanced ultrasound technology that can detect heart defects like hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This condition can often by detected by ultrasound as early as the first trimester.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a congenital heart defect present at birth. It is a rare heart condition that affects the lower left chamber of the heart. the left ventricle is very small, the valves on the left side of the heart (aortic and mitral do not work properly and the main artery leaving the heart (aorta) is smaller than normal. This condition means that the left side of the heart will not be able to pump effectively to pump blood to the body, so the right side of the heart must do more work to compensate. In a day or two after birth the natural openings between the right and left sides of the heart close. This closing which occurs naturally and normally does not affect the normal healthy newborn, can prove fatal to the baby with this congenital heart condition as now the right side of the heart no longer has a way to pump blood to the body. Medication can be given to prevent the holes from closing between the left and the right sides. A heart transplant or heart surgery will be necessary to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome if the baby is to survive. In the past, few babies survived; now the outlook is more promising for these babies.

Symptoms:

Critically ill at birth

Grayish-blue skin color

Rapid and difficulty breathing

Poor feeding

Hands and feet are cold

Baby Birth Defect Risk: Having one or more children who have hypoplstic left heart syndrome Seeking Medical Attention: If your baby has any of these symptoms seek medical attention immediately: Skin color - gray or blue Breathing that is rapid or seems difficult in any way. Does not feed well Hands and feet are cold Baby is always sleepy Shock symptoms are an emergency and must be given immediate medical care: cold, clammy skin that is blue or gray in color rapid and weak pulse breathing that is not normal (slow, shallow, or very rapid) Pupils of the eyes are dilated Eyes appear to be lackluster and as if they are starring Prenatal Screening: Today there is advanced ultrasound technology that can detect heart defects like hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Lethargy

If the natural holes on the left and right sides (foramen ovale and ductus arteriosus) are allowed to close the baby will go into shock and may die.

Symptoms of shock:

Clammy and cool skin that may also be pale or gray in color

Rapid and weak pulse

Slow, shallow or very rapid breathing

Dilated pupils (eyes)

Eyes that seem to stare (lackluster)

May be conscious or unconscious

A baby in shock needs medical treatment right away as this is an emergency.

Causes:

The causes are unknown. All that is known is that it occurs during fetal development.

Genetics does play a role in hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Risk:

Having one or more children who have hypoplstic left heart syndrome

Seeking Medical Attention:

If your baby has any of these symptoms seek medical attention immediately:

Skin color - gray or blue

Breathing that is rapid or seems difficult in any way.

Does not feed well

Hands and feet are cold

Baby is always sleepy

Shock symptoms are an emergency and must be given immediate medical care:

cold, clammy skin that is blue or gray in color

rapid and weak pulse

breathing that is not normal (slow, shallow, or very rapid)

Pupils of the eyes are dilated

Eyes appear to be lackluster and as if they are starring

Prenatal Screening:

Today there is advanced ultrasound technology that can detect heart defects like hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This condition can often by detected by ultrasound as early as the first trimester.

Diagnosis after birth:

A physician or other healthcare professional may suspect hypoplastic left heart syndrome, if the baby is gray or bluish in skin color or has difficulty breathing or if the medical professional hears a heart murmur.

An echocardiogram will be performed to help make the diagnosis. This test will reveal the smaller than normal left ventricle and aorta and also track the blood flow from right ventricle into the aorta. Other heart defects can also be detected by the echocardiogram.

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12/01/2008
Fertility treatments linked to birth defects (Daily Vidette)
A recent study has shown that children born from Assisted Reproductive Technology may be at a greater risk of birth defects than children conceived naturally. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found certain birth defects were two to four times more likely among infants born with the help of fertility treatments than those not.

Fertility treatments linked to birth defects (Daily Vidette)

12/03/2008
Surgery bill too costly for them (The New Straits Times)
GEORGE TOWN: Month-old Cheah Zong Ting had an urgent operation recently to correct a heart-related birth defect.

Surgery bill too costly for them (The New Straits Times)

12/03/2008
Surgery bill too costly for them (The New Straits Times)
GEORGE TOWN: Month-old Cheah Zong Ting had an urgent operation recently to correct a heart-related birth defect. The operation at the Gleneagles Medical Centre here was to litigate a large patent ductus arteriosus -- the presence of an extra blood vessel outside the heart.

Surgery bill too costly for them (The New Straits Times)

12/05/2008
Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells May Offer Novel Therapeutic Option For Skin Disorder (BioresearchOnline)
Stem cells derived from bone marrow may serve as a novel therapeutic option to treat a disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a disorder characterized by extraordinarily fragile skin, according to a study prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells May Offer Novel Therapeutic Option For Skin Disorder (BioresearchOnline)

12/01/2008
Fertility treatments linked to birth defects (Daily Vidette)
A recent study has shown that children born from Assisted Reproductive Technology may be at a greater risk of birth defects than children conceived naturally. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found certain birth defects were two to four times more likely among infants born with the help of fertility treatments than those not.

Fertility treatments linked to birth defects (Daily Vidette)

12/05/2008
Mother’s Act promotes pregnancy as lucrative market for Big Pharma (Online Journal)
Women of childbearing years represent the most lucrative market for the makers of psychiatric drugs. The knowledge that infants were being born with birth defects and suffering a withdrawal syndrome when these drugs were used during pregnancy was hidden for decades.

Mother’s Act promotes pregnancy as lucrative market for Big Pharma (Online Journal)