Submit request or call to make an appointment.
During the initial staged repair of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), there is a need to create pulmonary blood flow. This can be done in a number of ways, using a Blalock-Taussig shunt or a Sano shunt modification.
The Sano shunt modification is performed together with the Norwood procedure by the pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons at Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with UofL School of Medicine, during the first staged repair of HLHS. With the Sano shunt modification, a small tube is placed from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, creating a path for blood flow.
The board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons at Norton Children’s Heart Institute will know which shunt will provide the best outcome for your child.
Norton Children’s Heart Institute is the leading provider of pediatric heart care in Louisville and Southern Indiana.
Norton Children’s Heart Institute has a network of remote diagnostic and treatment services in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
The pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons at Norton Children’s Heart Institute have the experience, skills and training to perform these operations successfully in infants with complex congenital heart disease.
Benefits of the Sano shunt include higher diastolic blood pressure (the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats) and pulmonary blood flow that pulses, mimicking the natural blood flow of patient with two ventricles.
Potential complications of the Sano shunt can arise from the incision in the right ventricle, which can cause arrhythmia and right ventricle dysfunction. And similar to a BT shunt, there is risk of narrowing (stenosis) and clotting (thrombosis) of the shunt.
Infants receiving a Sano modification will be monitored closely by the Norton Children’s Heart Institute’s single ventricle program team until the second stage of their repair.