The Glenn
The bi-directional Glenn shunt scheduled for Wednesday will be Corey's second of at least three heart surgeries. This is his first "open heart" surgery where Corey will be placed on a cardiopulmonary bypass machine (heart-lung machine) so the surgery can be performed. We hope to meet with the surgeon Monday to find out for sure but we think it will be a "beating heart" bypass where the heart is not actually stopped but continues to beat without pumping blood through his body. We anticipate that Corey will be in the hospital for about 5-7 days following the surgery.
(Click the image to enlarge it.) The Glenn surgery itself is the first half of the permanent "fix" to reroute Corey's blood to allow his blood circulation to deliver adequate oxygen to the rest of his body. The goal is to divert all blood returning from the body directly into the lungs without being pumped there by the right side of the heart. The Glenn diverts blood from the upper part of the body (mainly the head and arms) directly to the lungs. The final surgery, the Fontan, diverts blood from the lower part of the body directly to the lungs. In layman's terms, the healthy heart has two pumps: one to push blood to the lungs to get more oxygen and one to push blood to the body to deliver oxygen. After these next two surgeries Corey's heart will be pumping blood only to his body and not to his lungs at all. The blood returning for oxygen will passively flow to the lungs and return to the heart to be pumped to the body.The final step Wednesday during surgery will be to tie off Corey's first shunt, the B-T shunt, because it is no longer needed after the Glenn.
For more information on the Glenn procedure, check out this link (image above was taken from here), another link, and an FAQ on the Glenn.
Damian
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We can't believe the time has come for the Glenn already - time has flown by so quickly. Have faith that the tiny guy will pull through with flying colors - he is strong, and he is a fighter. He will be smiling and laughing again before you know it. We will be thinking about the three of you all week.
Love,
Uncle Shawn and Aunt Amanda