New approach in stage 1 surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome: preliminary outcomes

We present the short-term results of an alternative method in stage 1 surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Data of 16 consecutive patients who were treated with the novel method in our clinic between February 2019 and March 2021 were analysed retrospectively. Preoperative data and postoperative follow-up were recorded.

Of the 16 operated patients, 12 were diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, while four were diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome variants. Seven patients died during early postoperative period. One patient died at home waiting stage 2 surgery. Three patient underwent stage 2 surgery. Pulmonary artery reconstruction was performed in one patient due to left pulmonary artery distortion.

We believe that our method can be an effective alternative in the surgery of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and its variants. It is hoped that with increasing number of studies and more experience better outcome will be achieved.