The Future of Single Ventricle Care Will Be Engineered
Karla and Derick Senn got the diagnosis at 20 weeks : Their son , Jaden , had hypoplastic left heart syndrome , or HLHS , a rare and potentially devastating congenital heart defect .
MULTIDISCIPLINARY SPECIALTIES FEATURED :
With his left ventricle atrophied , only Jaden ’ s right ventricle could pump blood — which , as long as he was in the womb , could circulate through his body via the ductus arteriosus . Once he was born , once he needed to breathe , that would change .
He ’ d immediately need intensive care . Within days , he ’ d need a Norwood operation to attach his aorta to his right ventricle and shunt blood to the lungs . Over the next two years , he ’ d need two more major open heart surgeries — the Glenn and the Fontan — to fully harness his one working ventricle to do the job of two .
Karla and Derick were first-time parents . They couldn ’ t wait to meet their son . But as Karla ’ s due date approached , their anticipation mixed with fear .
“ The last month was difficult ,” says Karla . “ We were counting
Cardiology and Heart Surgery
Gastroenterology and GI Surgery
Pulmonology Pediatric Surgery Psychiatry
Derick Senn and his son Jaden , who has hypoplastic left heart syndrome . One day , doctors might use his stem cells to rebuild structures of his heart .
down to the time when our son was no longer going to be safe .”
Building a surgical patch that beats
At the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine , a 10-minute walk across the Anschutz Medical Campus from Children ’ s Hospital Colorado ’ s main hospital , Jeff Jacot , PhD , with the University of Colorado Department of Bioengineering , is figuring out what ’ s in a heart .
“ Much of the material in organs is made up not of cells but of naturally occurring polymers