Glenn Shunt (Bidirectional Glenn Procedure) in India

The Glenn shunt, also called the bidirectional Glenn (BD Glenn) procedure, is the second stage in a series of surgeries for children born with single-ventricle heart defects, conditions such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, where only one of the heart's two pumping chambers is strong enough to function. In a healthy heart, the right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs and the left ventricle pumps it to the body; children with single-ventricle physiology have only one chamber capable of this work.

What the surgery does

During the Glenn procedure, the superior vena cava, the large vein carrying oxygen-poor blood from the upper body, is disconnected from the heart and connected directly to the pulmonary artery. This allows blood from the upper body to flow passively into the lungs for oxygenation without the heart having to pump it, significantly reducing the workload on the single functioning ventricle. Most children who undergo a Glenn procedure have already had an earlier surgery, commonly a Blalock-Taussig shunt or pulmonary artery band, placed in the newborn period.

Part of a staged plan

The Glenn is not usually the final surgery. It is typically followed some years later by the Fontan procedure, which completes the redirection of blood flow. Together, these staged surgeries allow a single ventricle to support circulation for the whole body over the long term. Not every child who has a Glenn will go on to need a Fontan on the same timeline; this is assessed individually by the cardiac team.