Surgeons refine procedure for life-threatening congenital heart defect

For children born with life-threating hypoplastic left heart syndrome, reconstructive surgeries can restore blood circulation. While the most common corrective approach is the three-stage Norwood procedure, an alternative strategy, hybrid palliation, allows deferral of more complex reconstructions to when the child is somewhat older and better able to successfully recover from major surgery. A report evaluates whether an arterial shunt in the hybrid palliation may be a better source for the pulmonary blood supply than the more frequently used venous shunt.

from Today's Healthcare News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1HJ3F7m