The authors discuss the nursing perspective on stage I Norwood operations and include a case report.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a congenital malformation of the left-sided heart structures characterized by underdevelopment of the left ventricle and the aorta. The exact cause of HLHS is unknown, but the malformation most likely occurs during embryological development of the aortic and mitral valves.1 The lack of or reduction in blood flow across the valves leads to failure of growth of the left ventricle and ascending aorta.2 

Surgical palliation of HLHS is currently accomplished through a 3-stage operative procedure, termed staged palliation. The first stage is the Norwood operation. This stage was recently modified to replace the traditional modified Blalock-Taussig shunt with a conduit from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, referred to as a Sano shunt. We report a case of right ventricular aneurysm that developed at the...

You do not currently have access to this content.