Health Article | Norton Children's Louisville, Ky.

Superior vena cava (VEE-nuh KAY-vuh): the large vein that returns blood from the head and arms to the heart.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a birth defect of a baby’s heart. The left side of the heart doesn’t grow as it should, making it smaller and weaker than normal.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Surgery: The Fontan Procedure

The Fontan procedure is open-heart surgery done as the third of three surgeries to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Surgery: The Glenn Procedure

The Glenn procedure is open-heart surgery done as the second of three surgeries to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Surgery: The Norwood Procedure

The Norwood procedure is open-heart surgery done as the first of three surgeries to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

Dictionary: Aorta

The aorta is the major blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.

Dictionary: Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt

A Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt is a small, soft tube that lets blood in the body be redirected.

Dictionary: Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a measurement that tells how hard the heart is pumping to move blood through the blood vessels.

Dictionary: Heart Transplant

A heart transplant is a surgery where doctors remove a person's sick heart and replace it with a healthy donor heart.

Dictionary: Inferior Vena Cava

The inferior vena cava is the large vein that returns blood from the legs and abdomen to the heart.

Dictionary: Interstage Period

Babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) need three surgeries. The time between the first and second surgeries is called the interstage period.

Dictionary: Left Ventricle

The left ventricle pumps blood full of oxygen out to the body.

Dictionary: Open-Heart Surgery

Open-heart surgery is surgery that involves opening the chest and heart. A heart-lung machine does the work for the heart and lungs during the procedure.

Dictionary: Sano shunt

A Sano shunt is a small, soft tube that lets blood in the body be redirected.

Dictionary: Single Ventricle Defect

Having a single ventricle means that only one of the heart's two ventricles (pumping chambers) works well enough to pump blood.

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Dictionary: Superior Vena Cava

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