Since I started this blog I have greatly increased my knowledge of congenital heart disorders. I often see a phrase or an abreviation that I don't understand and look it up in my favourite web resource; Wikipedia.

I started to share these findings on this blog with the publication of my first discovery but went no further. I will continue this series now with my second lesson in Congenital Heart Defects.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

This is a very rare heart defect but it is very serious. The left hand side of the heart does not form correctly and the right hand side has to do all of the work, pushing blood through a Patent Ductus Arteriosus; but as we know from our first lesson, the Patent Ductus Arteriosus closes just a few days after birth.

As the PDA closes the blood flow is severely restricted and the baby becomes very ill very quickly. Fortunately the PDA can be kept open for a short while using a hormone called Prostagladin. The heart can either be operated on or transplanted depending on the severity of the condition.

In western countries this condition is picked up rapidly enough for corrective procedures to be undertaken but often the sufferer will experience health problems throughout their life as a result; patients must also be seen by a cardiologist throughout their lives to check on their heart.