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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffWithout surgery, hypoplastic left heart syndrome is fatal, usually within the first week or two of life.
With treatment, many babies survive, although most will have complications later in life. Some of the complications include:
- Tiring easily when participating in sports or other exercise
- Heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias)
- Fluid buildup in the lungs, abdomen, legs and feet (edema)
- Formation of blood clots that may lead to a pulmonary embolism or stroke
- Developmental problems related to the brain and nervous system
- Need for additional heart surgery or transplantation
References
- Fraser CD, et al. Congenital heart disease. In: Townsend CM, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/186905321-10/962096861/1565/579.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3675-3..50064-2--cesec58_3551. Accessed March 3, 2010.
- Bernstein D. Cyanotic congenital heart disease: Lesions associated with increased pulmonary blood flow. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/186905321-10/962096861/1608/1010.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50433-3--cesec35_8312. Accessed March 3, 2010.
- Fontan procedure-requiring lesions. In: Libby P, et al., eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50064-9--cesec370&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50064-9--cesec382&uniq=186905321&isbn=978-1-4160-4106-1&sid=962096861#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4106-1..50064-9--cesec381%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-1-4160-4106-1. Accessed March 3, 2010.
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1353. Accessed March 3, 2010.
- Grossfield P, et al. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome: New genetic insights. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2009;53:1072.
- If your child has a congenital heart defect - Our guide for parents. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3007586. Accessed March 3, 2010.
- Waltzman M. Initial evaluation of shock in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 3, 2010.
- Gordon BM, et al. Decreasing number of deaths of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2008;153:354.
- Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 16, 2010.
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