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Glossary

A

Angiography: An X-ray technique that uses a dye injected into the blood vessels to study how blood circulates through the heart. The test allows doctors to measure the degrees of obstruction to blood flow.
Aorta: The largest artery in the body and the primary blood vessel leading from the heart to the body.
Aortic Stenosis: A narrowing or obstruction of the valve between the left side of the heart and the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the body.
Aortic valve: The valve that allows blood to flow in and out of the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the body.
Arrhythmia: An abnormal heart rhythm.
Atria: The two (left and right) upper chambers of the heart, which take in blood flow from the veins prior so it can be pumped to the body and the lungs.
Atrial septal defect: A hole in the septum (wall) between the atria (upper chambers) of the heart.
Atrioventricular septal defect: A complex condition in which the important structures of the heart are not fully formed at birth.

B

Balloon valvulopolasty: A procedure in which a catheter (spaghetti-like tube) that has a small deflated balloon at the tip is inserted into a blood vessel, and then is threaded up to the opening of a narrowed heart valve. The balloon is inflated, which stretches the valve open. This procedure cures many valve obstructions.
Bradycardia: A condition that causes the heart to beat too slowly.

C

Cardiac anesthesiologist: A doctor who specializes in treating children with congenital heart disease undergoing procedures that require the use of anesthesia.
Cardiac catheterization: A procedure that uses catheters (spaghetti-like tubes), guided into large blood vessels using X-ray and ultrasound, to diagnose or treat a number of heart conditions.
Cardiac intensive care unit: A hospital area for children with heart problems who need special care. The cardiac ICU staff is highly specialized in helping children, from newborns to young adults, recover from a wide variety of heart conditions.
Cardiac intensivist: A doctor specializing in caring for children with heart problems who need to be in an intensive care unit.
Cardiomyopathy: A condition that occurs when the heart muscle does not work as well as it should.
Chest X-rays: Pictures of a child’s heart taken using electromagnetic radiation.
Coarctation of the aorta: A narrowing or kink in the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the body.
Congenital: Refers to disorders and medical conditions present at birth. They are noticed before birth (prenatal), at birth or even many years later. Causes of congenital disorders include genetic abnormalities or something that happens during pregnancy, such as the mother smoking or drinking alcohol. Congenital disorders range from birthmarks to heart and brain problems.
Congestive heart failure: What occurs when the heart can’t pump enough blood to the body’s other organs.
Coronary arteries: The arteries that supply blood to the heart.
Cyanosis: A bluish color of the skin caused by decreased oxygen in the blood.

D

Defibrillator: A device similar to a pacemaker that sends electrical shocks to the heart to correct abnormal rhythms.
Diuretic: A type of medicine used to help the kidneys rid the body of water via the urine.
Double inlet left ventricle: A rare birth defect that results in the underdevelopment of the heart’s left ventricle (lower pumping chamber).
Double outlet right ventricle: A rare birth defect that results in the underdevelopment of the heart’s right ventricle (lower pumping chamber).
Ductus arteriosus: A blood vessel connecting the pulmonary artery (main artery to the lungs) to the aorta (main artery to the body).

E

Ebstein's malformation: An abnormally developed tricuspid valve.
Echocardiogram: An ultrasound picture of the heart. It can demonstrate the direction of blood flow and define the anatomy of the heart.
Edema: Swelling caused by excess water in the body.
Electrocardiogram: Known as an ECG or EKG, is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart to show the rate and rhythm.
Electrophysiologist: A doctor who is an expert at interpreting the heart’s electrical signals — the electrician of the cardiac world. This specialist also inserts pacemakers and defibrillators.
Electrophysiology: A specialized procedure using catheters to diagnose or treat arrhythmias (heart rhythm problems).
Electrophysiology laboratory: A laboratory where doctors specialize in diagnosing and treating rhythm disturbances using special catheters placed inside the heart.
Endocarditis: An infection in the heart.
Exercise testing: Also called stress testing, evaluates the body’s response to exercise. It can identify a child’s limits and detect heart and lung problems.
Extracorporeal: Means outside the body.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): A heart-lung pump that provides support when a child’s heart or lungs fail to work properly or need rest. Also called ECMO, it is a form of a heart-lung bypass.

F

Fetal echocardiogram: An ultrasound image of an unborn baby’s heart.

H

Heart murmurs: Sounds (whooshing, rasping, blowing) heard from the blood when it moves abnormally through the heart.
Heart transplant: A procedure that replaces a weakened heart with a donor heart.
Holter monitor: A portable electrocardiogram, or ECG, used to record the electrical activity of the heart for 24 hours or longer.
Hypertrophic: Means enlarged. The main feature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an excessive thickening of the heart muscle.
Hypoplastic: Means underdeveloped.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome: A serious birth defect that results in the underdevelopment of the left side of the heart.

I

Immunosuppressant: A medication used to decrease the body’s defenses against a transplanted heart.
Interrupted aortic arch: A birth defect that is an interruption in the aorta, the primary blood vessel leading from the heart to the body.
Interventional catheterization: Procedures done in the catheterization lab to close holes in the heart, widen narrow blood vessels or close abnormal blood vessels.
Ischemia: A deficiency of blood in a body part, usually due to constriction or obstruction of a blood vessel.

K

Kawasaki disease: A specific group of signs and symptoms that appear in phases and usually affect children under five years old. It is generally manifested as rash, fever and eye redness and can affect the heart and its arteries.

L

Lipids: Fats. Lipids can be broken down by the body and used for energy.
Long Q-T syndrome: A rare disorder of the heart’s electrical rhythm that can lead to sudden death.

M

Marfan syndrome: A genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue of the body and aortic arch.
Mitral valve: The valve that controls blood flow between the heart’s left atrium (upper chamber) and left ventricle (lower chamber).
Mitral valve abnormalities: Birth defects affecting the mitral valve.
Mitral valve prolapse: Enlargement of one or both of the mitral valve flaps.
Mitral valve regurgitation: Blood leaking back into the left atrium because the mitral valve does not close well.
Mitral valve stenosis: A tightening or narrowing (stenosis) of the mitral valve, reducing blood flow to the left ventricle.
Myocarditis: A heart disease caused by inflammation of the heart muscle.
Myocardium: The heart’s muscular wall.

N

Neonatologist: A doctor specializing in newborns.

O

Oxygenation: The process of putting oxygen into the blood and carrying it to the body tissues.

P

Pacemaker: A small device that uses a special battery to send electrical impulses to the heart to help it pump properly. An electrode is placed in the heart wall and small electrical charges travel through the lead wire and tell the heart to beat.
Patent ductus arteriosus: A condition of the temporary blood vessel that allows blood to bypass the baby’s lungs before birth because the temporary vessel fails to close after the baby is born; “patent” means open.
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart, which puts pressure on the heart.
Perinatologist: A doctor specializing in pre-birth.
Pulmonary artery: The artery that pumps blood to the lungs.
Pulmonary atresia: A birth defect that is a missing or obstructed pulmonary valve, the main door controlling blood flow to the lungs.
Pulmonary hypertension: A condition due to thickened muscles in the walls of blood vessels that increase resistance to the blood leaving the heart’s right ventricle (lower pumping chamber).
Pulmonary stenosis: A stenosis (narrowing) of the pulmonary valve of the heart, one of the main valves controlling blood flow to the lungs from the heart.
Pulmonary valve: The valve in the right ventricle that controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen.

R

Radiofrequency ablation: A procedure that uses a special catheter to deliver radio frequency energy to destroy a tiny place of heart tissue where an arrhythmia (abnormal rhythm) occurs.
Rheumatic fever: An inflammatory condition that can involve the heart and joints. Most commonly it affects the mitral and/or aortic valves, which control blood flow between the chambers of the heart.
Rheumatic heart disease: Caused by strep throat not treated or only partially treated with antibiotics, the disease starts as rheumatic fever.

S

Septum: The wall between the chambers of the heart.
Single-ventricle heart defect: A birth defect that results in only one pumping chamber in the heart working effectively. Single-ventricle defects are among the most complex congenital (present at birth) heart problems.
Sinus node: A special group of cells that send an electrical signal to start the natural pacemaker of the heart.
Sonographer: A specialist who performs the echocardiogram, the ultrasound of the heart.
Statins: Medications used to treat high cholesterol.
Stenosis: A narrowing.
Stress echocardiogram: A test to measure how well the heart responds to exercise. It uses ultrasound imaging with a regular stress test to record images of the heart before and after exercise.
Supraventricular tachycardia: When the heart rate is sped up by an abnormal electrical impulse starting in the atria (chambers where the blood comes into the heart).
Syncope: Light-headedness or fainting caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain.
Systolic heart murmurs: Murmurs that occur during the contraction of the heart muscle.

T

Tachycardia: An abnormally rapid heart rate.
Telemedicine: The use of high-speed phone lines to share medical information such as X-rays and echocardiograms.
Tetralogy of Fallot: A birth defect involving four problems in the structure of the heart; “tetra” is Greek for four.
Tilt table test: Used to determine the cause of syncope (fainting or lightheadedness). It’s performed on using a table that tilts the patient upright.
Total anomalous pulmonary venous return: A birth defect that results from the lung veins failing to attach to the heart’s left atrium (upper collecting chamber).
Transesophageal echocardiography: A procedure that uses a tube with an echocardiogram transducer on the end of it, passed down a patient’s throat and into the esophagus. The esophagus is right behind the heart, and the images can give very clear views of the heart and its structures.
Transposition of the great arteries: A serious birth defect in which the origin of the pulmonary artery, which carries blood from the heart to the lungs, and the aorta, which carries blood to the body, are reversed.
Transthoracic echocardiography: An ultrasound picture of the heart taken through the chest.
Tricuspid atresia: A birth defect that results in the underdevelopment of the tricuspid valve, one of the main valves controlling blood flow between the chambers of the heart.
Tricuspid valve: The valve controlling blood flow to the right ventricle.
Truncus arteriosus: A birth defect in which the two large arteries that leave the heart — the aorta, which carries blood to the body, and the pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lungs — are combined in one large common artery known as the truncus arteriosus.

V

Valve disease: A malfunction of one or more of the heart valves that may cause an obstruction of the blood flow within the heart.
Valvulitis: Inflammation of a valve, especially the mitral and/or aortic valve, as a consequence of rheumatic fever.
Vascular rings: Also called vascular slings, are a birth defect of abnormal arteries surrounding the trachea — the breathing tube that carries air from the lungs — and the esophagus — the tube that carries food from the stomach.
Vasculitis: Inflammation of the blood vessels.
Ventricle: One of the two pumping chambers of the heart. The right ventricle pumps oxygen-poor blood to the lungs, where it absorbs oxygen. The blood then returns to the heart through veins. The left ventricle pumps the newly oxygen-rich blood through the body.
Ventricular assist device (VAD): A type of mechanical pump that is implanted in a person’s chest during open-heart surgery. A left ventricle device helps the heart pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. A right ventricle device helps pump oxygen-poor blood to the lungs. Some people need both devices. A VAD is used most commonly for patients waiting for a heart transplant and for patients whose heart muscles need to strengthen after surgery.
Ventricular septal defect: A hole in the septum (wall) between the ventricles (lower pumping chambers) of the heart.
Viral myocarditis: A heart disease caused by a viral inflammation of the myocardium, the heart’s muscular wall.

W

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: An electrical abnormality of the heart that can affect its ability to pump.