Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a congenital heart condition almost always only seen in infants, largely because the condition almost always results in death when not properly treated. Here, we will take a look at what hypoplastic left heart syndrome is, as well as statistics about the condition. We will then look at how new techniques and treatments have made real strides in helping to lower the number of infant mortalities associated with hypoplastic left heart syndrome by leaps and bounds. This, as you will see, is clearly a good thing.
What Is It?
Hypopplastic left heart syndrome, as mentioned above, is a birth defect that results in a heart condition in the infant. This occurs while the child is still developing in utero, so there is truly nothing that can be done about it until the child has been born. After birth, it is noticed because the left ventricle, as well as the aortic and mitral valve are not quite as large as they are supposed to be, or are not there at all. Babies with this issue may also have a hole located elsewhere in the chamber of their heart.
Statistics about This Syndrome
One of the most terrifying statistics is that before the 80’s, this birth defect, alone, lead to nearly 95% of all infant deaths from birth until the age of around one month. From 1440-640 babies are born each year in the United States suffering from this condition. A study conducted from the 1990’s to the early 200’s showed that perhaps seasonality, as well as certain uncontrollable environmental factors may play the largest role in this syndrome developing.
Lowering Numbers
Since the 1980’s, the number of infants who have died from hypoplastic left heart syndrome has decreased significantly. This is largely due to the fact that new techniques allow for earlier detection (for example, before birth). Some procedures can be done right after birth, or just with a week or so, while others can actually now be done while the baby is still in its mother’s womb. Some of these techniques seem to have worked well to keep the infant still living, though the long term side effects of some of the techniques are not really yet known because infants who were operated on have not been thoroughly studied after. Hopefully, in the next few years, more stats on the success of these procedures overtime will emerge.
