The Next Surgery "The Glenn"

The bidirectional procedure is the surgery used to prepare the heart for the Fontan Procedure. It is a surgery in which a detour (shunt) is created from the aorta to the pulmonary artery. The surgery is performed on infants and young children who are born with a congenital heart defect that reduces the amount of oxygen rich blood circulating throughout the body. These infants often show signs such as a bluish tint (cyanosis) to the skin, lips, fingernails and other parts of the body. Although a successful procedure will improve immediate signs and symptoms of the underlying heart defect, the procedure does not correct the heart defect. Other surgeries are usually necessary in the future to repair the defect itself. This second surgery will probably be done when Henry is about three years old.

Although not exactly a Fontan operation a bidirectional Glenn (BDG) shunt is similar to it and is called a type of "Partial Fontan" operation. It is also called Bidirectional Cavo Pulmonary Shunt (BCPS).

The bidirectional shunt is performed by connecting the superior vena csvsa (SVC) to the right branch of he pulmonary artery using fine sutures, and dividing or tying up the pulmonary artery. Now, venous blood from the head and upper limbs will pass directly to the lungs, bypassing the right ventricle. The venous blood from the lower half of the body however will continue to enter the heart.

At a second operation, the lower body venous blood will also be diverted to the lungs, thus creating the "complete" Fontan circulation.

The bio directional Glenn shunt is preferred in very small babies - below 2 years of age - in whom the lung vessel resistance is still quite high, and in borderline cases with abnormal pulmonary arteries. While avoiding the risk of failure of a complete Fontan operation, it also partly relieves symptoms. It is well after the lung vessel resistance is low, a change to complete Fontan is possible. Otherwise nothing further is done.

This is just s brief description of the surgery. Hopefully this will help understand exactly what Henry will be going through during his next operation.

Please keep prayers coming!

HENRY ON HANBACK.COM

I emailed Mr. Hanback as soon as we got back to keep him updated on Henry as he had asked last November. For those of you who don't know him, he was the hunter that posted about Henry and Dave's deer last year when Henry was going through his first surgery. Well, I checked the blog today and Mike has already set to work getting the prayers going for the upcoming surgery on May 25th. If you want to check it out you can go to http://www.mikehanback.com/blog/index.cfm/2011/4/22/Easter-Prayers-for-Baby-Henry . Mike is an excellent writer and hunter to boot. He does things the right way, which is why I enjoy watching his show on Versus during the season. Be sure to check out the comments section as well. Several people who don't know Henry, Dave, and Dana are sending the nicest messages and prayers his way.

That being said, stay strong Henry. Mom and dad are.

Love you.
Uncle Danny 

We Have a Date!

After hearing from the cardiologist today, it was announced that Henry's open heart surgery will be on May 25th. This is both exciting, because we finally have a date, and scary because it will be open heart surgery. We have a little over a month to keep Mr. Henry healthy and strong before surgery. I find that thinking about the surgery just causes so much anxiousness that whenever it enters my mind, I just say a little prayer for Henry. Hopefully God will be looking down on our precious Henry and his mom and dad on that day in May. I am sure he will have extra guardian angels at his side. Please also keep Dana and Dave in your thoughts and prayers as the anticipation is almost as bad as the actual surgery. They will need to keep their minds occupied on other things. One great event to look forward to is the arrival of Henry's new cousin Maja! I am sure after surgery they will become great playmates.

Henry Feeling Great!

Grandma Darcy reluctantly left Dana and Dave and Henry today. Henry's kisses and hugs will definitely be missed. Henry was very sore for several days after the heart cath. He took tylenol for a few days to help out his aches from being poked like a pin cusion. This morning he woke up ready to go. He had his first "real" bath since the heart cath, got dressed and was back to himself. It truly is amazing how fast he bounced back. He will need to get strong before the next big hurdle. Keep praying!