Scoring system to determine need for balloon atrial septostomy for restrictive interatrial communication in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Background: Restrictive interatrial communication (IAC) causes morbidity and mortality in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome awaiting cardiac transplantation. We sought to create a scoring system, based on echocardiographic and clinical findings, to serve as a guide for determining the need for balloon atrial septostomy (BAS).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed echocardiograms of 44 infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.