What is hypoplastic left heart syndrome? Birth defect at center of McKenna West surrogacy battle
A baby at the center of a bitter legal battle over whether he should have been aborted was born this week with a serious and rare heart defect.Surrogate McKenna West was about 20 weeks pregnant when the baby she was carrying, Gabriel, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart defect that requires multiple surgeries and leaves survivors facing lifelong medical care and potentially serious health complications.West refused the biological parents’ request to terminate the pregnancy, setting off a dispute that has involved courts and officials in three states.The biological parents had asked West to get an abortion, in accordance with the “abortion on demand” clause of their surrogacy agreement.
West refused and traveled to Texas “for protection,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office said.“Every life matters.No woman should be forced to end the life of the baby she is carrying — including me… Baby Gabriel should receive a chance at life,” West told The Post in a statement.The biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed of California, have taken custody of Gabriel, but West plans to continue fighting for custody of the baby.So what exactly is hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and what does it mean for Gabriel?Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a severe birth defect in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.This area of the heart includes the left ventricle, valves and aorta.
It is responsible for receiving oxygenated blood from the lungs and getting it delivered around the body.HLHS affects about one in 3,846 babies born in the US every year.A baby born with HLHS may have:Without treatment, children born with HLHS may go into shock, and will die from complications including heart failure.Babies can be diagnosed before or after birth.Before birth, ultrasounds or echocardiograms (ultrasounds of the heart) can detect the condition.After birth, they’re diagnosed based on the presenting sympt...