Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)

Fortunately, every child is born with extra connections between their heart’s left and right sides that naturally close a few days after birth. For babies born with HLHS, medication keeps those connections open longer, until your child is ready for heart surgery, so that blood can circulate.

Your child will likely need one or more operations within their first few years of life. A series of three HLHS operations that together are called “single ventricle palliation” essentially re-plumb the heart in stages. 

• Norwood: This first operation usually takes place within the first two weeks after birth. Surgeons make new connections in the heart so it can pump blood to both the lungs and body. Our pediatric heart surgeons pioneered a new technique for the Norwood operation that that reduces risk, increases patient survival from less than 88% to more than 97%, reduces risk, and is better tolerated by newborns.
• Glenn: Usually done when your baby is four to six months old, this procedure changes the heart’s anatomy. The goal is to reduce workload on the right ventricle.
• Fontan: This operation occurs when your child is a bit older (usually between 18 months to three years old) and better able to tolerate it. The procedure creates more efficient pathways for oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood to flow throughout the body. The Fontan Program at Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center -- the only one in North Carolina and one of the few in the U.S. -- offers advanced care to patients who have undergone the Fontan procedure to help your child stay healthy as they grow.