|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW YORK, Mar 05 (Reuters Health) - Babies with a potentially fatal heart disorder have a better chance of surviving their initial surgery when the condition was diagnosed while they were still in the womb, researchers report.
Investigators found that 100% of babies diagnosed prenatally survived the first surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), compared with about 66% of those whose diagnosis was made after they were born. The report is published in the March 6th issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
HLHS, one of the most common heart defects diagnosed in newborns, occurs when the heart's pumping chamber cannot support blood circulation. Without a series of complex surgeries, the condition is almost always fatal within the first days of life.
While HLHS is sometimes diagnosed prenatally with ultrasound, it is still more common for the diagnosis to occur after birth, explain Dr. Wayne Tworetzky, from The Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues.
"Prenatal diagnosis of HLHS affords the opportunity for counseling and perinatal planning," the authors write.
For instance, doctors can spend more time explaining options to parents, and parents have time to make decisions. Those who opt to have the surgery can plan the delivery at a facility that is equipped to care for babies with the heart defect.
"Our study suggests that prenatal diagnosis has the potential to improve surgical outcomes, possibly by means of ensuring the infant is in the best possible health prior to the operation," Tworetzky said in a prepared statement.
The surgery for HLHS is done in three stages. In the first operation, usually performed in the first week of life, doctors reconstruct the aorta--the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body. The second operation is performed at 6 months and the third between 18 and 36 months.
The study included 33 fetuses diagnosed prenatally with HLHS and 55 babies diagnosed after birth. Of the 33 fetuses, 22 were born and 14 underwent surgery. Similar numbers of parents in both groups elected not to continue treatment, either due to parental wishes or substantial organ damage due to the condition.
SOURCE: Circulation 2001;103.
| Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories | Other Resources |
|
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
Copyright and Privacy Policy, We welcome your comments. Last updated: 06 March 2001 |