Glenn procedure: Symptoms, Classification, Diagnosis & Recovery

A procedure called the Glenn (or bidirectional Glenn) is used to improve blood circulation in a heart with a tiny left or right side (either the chamber that pumps blood or the valve that connects the upper and lower chambers). When your child's pulmonary arteries are attached to their superior vena cava, oxygen-demanding blood can flow directly to their lungs.

Your superior vena cava returns your upper body's oxygen-depleted blood. Under normal circumstances, this blood would be given oxygen by flowing through your heart's chambers and into your pulmonary artery. With the Glenn procedure, oxygen-depleted blood can be delivered to your lungs directly by bypassing a problematic heart area.

Infants can have one or more operations shortly after they're born, most commonly followed by this one. Infants may need a further operation a few years later for a longer-term solution.