Below you find some terms explained which might be helpful to understand better the diagnosis of your child and the treatment it will receive.
With many thanks to Heartline
Ablation
an electric current or radio- frequency energy can be used via a catheter to destroy the extra pathways in the heart which cause tachycardia
Absent Pulmonary Valve Syndrome
the pulmonary valve is not formed properly, there is a hole between the ventricles and the pulmonary arteries are much wider than they should be
Acidosis
Loss of the normal balance of body chemistry resulting from poor heart action and poor blood supply to parts of the body
ALCAPA
Anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery. The root of the coronary artery arises from the pulmonary artery instead of the aorta.
Anaesthetic
A chemical that produces loss of consciousness
Analgesic
medicine given to stop pain
Aneurysm
a ballooning of the wall of a blood vessel or of the heart
Angiogram
an x-ray of the heart assisted by a liquid introduced through a catheter
Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage
the pulmonary veins carry red blood from the lungs to the right side of the heart instead of the left side
Anticoagulant
a medicine such as Warfarin given to stop blood clots forming
Aorta
main artery which carries blood from the heart to the body
Aortic Arch
topmost part of the aorta from which the head, neck and arm arteries arise
Aortic Stenosis
a narrowing which restricts red blood from moving from the left ventricle into the aorta
Aortic valve
the valve between the left ventricle and the aorta
Arrhythmia
out of rhythm - the heart is beating too fast, too slowly, or irregularly
Arterial Switch
reattaching the aorta and the pulmonary artery the right way around when a baby is born with transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
Atresia
blocked or missing
Atria
plural of atrium. Blood is returned from the lungs, to the left atrium, from where it is pumped into the left ventricle and then round the body, or from the body, to the left atrium be pumped into the right ventricle and then to the lungs
Atrial Septal Defect - ASD
a hole in the wall between the atria
Atrial Septostomy
making a hole between the two atrial chambers
Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD)
a hole between the atria (atrial septal defect, or ASD), a hole between the ventricles (ventricular septal defect or VSD) and a single valve instead of a tricuspid valve and a mitral valve
Atrium
an upper chamber of the heart where blood collects before passing to the ventricle
Balloon dilation
using a tube (catheter) to reach the narrow part of the heart and making it bigger by inflating a balloon on the end of the catheter
Balloon septostomy
a tube (catheter) is put into the heart and a balloon inflated on the end of it to make a hole, or increase the size of a hole, in the wall (septum) of the heart
Banding
making the pulmonary artery narrower with a band to reduce blood flow to the lungs
Bicuspid
(of a valve) having 2 cusps or leaflets
Biopsy
removal of a small piece of tissue for examination
Blalock-Taussig Shunt (BT Shunt)
operation to join left or right subclavian artery to pulmonary artery
Blue Blood
blood which is returning from the body to the heart and so pumped to the lungs, where it will pick up oxygen and become red blood
Bradycardia
slow heart beat
Bronchomalacia
softening of the cartilage supporting the bronchi
Bypass
using a machine to bypass the heart and lungs during surgery
Candida
a fungal infection
Capillaries
very fine blood vessels
Cardiac
relating to the heart
Cardiac catheter
a tube which is put into the heart via a vein. It is used to help diagnosis, by measuring pressures, or can treat a problem such as widening an artery, or closing a hole.
cardiac histiocytoma
a rare heart tumour which causes arrythmia problems.
Cardiologist
doctor specialising in the heart
Cardiomyopathy
weakness of the heart muscle
Cardiopulmonary Bypass (heart/lung bypass)
machine with pump and an oxygenator to maintain blood supply to the body while the heart's action is stopped
Chest splinted open
when there is strong reason to suppose that further surgery is needed the opening in the chest is not closed
Chest drains
tubes often left in after heart surgery to drain away fluid
Chyle
a fluid containing a lot of fat within the lymphatic system
Clubbing
rounded swelling of the end's of the fingers or toes
CT Scan
scan of the brain
Coarctation of the Aorta
narrowing in the aorta - the artery taking blood from the heart to the body
Collaterals
natural additional blood vessels to help overcome a blockage
conduit
artificial tube
Congenital
describes a condition which is present at birth
CPAP : Constant Positive Airway Pressure
keeping small airways open, especially before completely off ventilation
Cyanosed
there is not enough oxygen in the blood, causing the skin to look blue in some children
Dextra Cardia
the heart is on the right, rather than the left side of the chest
Digoxin
a medicine given to increase the strength, or slow down the rate, of the contraction of the heart.
Dilated cardiomyopathy
a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and weak, sometimes because of a virus
Diuretic medicines
these medicines help the kidneys pass more water, so reducing excess fluid in the organs, especially the lungs
Double Inlet Ventricle
In this group of conditions there is a large ventricle into which both atria empty their blood through either one or two valves. There is usually a second smaller ventricle at the side of the main ventricle
Drain
a tube used to move fluid or air from the body
Duocal
a food supplement to help children gain weight faster
ECG
short for electrocardiogram - for measuring the electrical activity of the heart
Echo
short for echocardiogram - an image of the heart created by using high frequency sound waves
ECMO
a by-pass machine which can be used to support the heart so that it can be rested after surgery, or during a viral illness for example
EEG
a print-out of the electrical activity in the brain
Endocarditis
an infection of the lining of the heart
Fontan operation
an operation to connect right atrrium to lung artery
Glenn Shunt
the superior vena cava, bringing blood back to the right side of the heart, is connected to the pulmonary artery, so taking blood directly to the lungs, and bypassing the right ventricle
Haemoglobin
the chemical carried in red cells that carries oxygen, carbon dioxide and gives colour to the blood
Heart Block
a disturbance in the rhythm of the heart so that the ventricles beat more slowly than the atria
Heart murmur
a murmur is a sound made by blood moving round the heart: sometimes but not always this could be caused by a heart defect
Heparin
a drug given directly into a vein which thins the blood when there is a danger of clotting (an anticoagulant)
HDU
High Dependency Unit - unit where a child receives a lot of care. Children are sometimes transferred from Intensive Care Units once they are off the ventilator, but they need more care then can be given on the ward
Homograft
putting in human tissue - such as a valve or artery
Hypertension
Raised blood pressure
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
the heart muscle becomes so thick that it can interfere with its proper function
Hypoplastic Right Ventricle
the right ventricle has not developed properly so it is small
Hypotension
low blood pressure
Idiopathic
cause unknown
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs)
used to treat heart rhythms that are abnormally fast and life threatening
Inotrope
a drug used to increase heart function muscle
INR Test
a blood test to measure how fast the blood clots, used to adjust the amount of anticoagulant prescribed
Interrupted Inferior Vena Cava (IIVC)
The inferior vena cava is interrupted below the hepatic veins with subsequent systemic venous drainage via the azygos vein to the superior vena cava. The hepatic veins enter the right atrium directly. This anomaly is frequently associated with complex congenital heart disease, particularly left-isomerism.
Intubation
passage of a tube into the windpipe to assist with breathing
Ischaemia
reducyion in organ function as a result of reduced blood supply
IV antibiotics
antibiotics directly into the blood stream
IV drugs
drugs given directly into the blood stream
Keloid
a hard lumpy scar from excess fibrous tissue
Kidney dialysis
used to take impurities from the blood when the kidneys are not working properly / message edit note Leucoyte
white blood cell that fights infection
Lymph
body fluid running in channels, drains fluid and particular fats from the bowel back into circulation
MAPCAS
major aorto-pulmonary collateral vessels found in conditions like pulmonary atresia
Maxijul
a food supplement to help a baby gain weight faster
Meningitis
an infection of the lining of the brain
Mitral Valve Stenosis
the Mitral Valve in the heart opens to let oxygenated blood to pass into the left ventricle, and then closes as it is pumped into the aorta and so around the body. Stenosis means that it is narrow, and therefore not allowing enough blood through and causing a backflow to the lungs
Murmur
noise produced by blood flow in the heart and vessels
Mustard Procedure
(not commonly used these days) this redirects the flow of blood to the atria and leaves the left ventricle pumping to the lungs, and the right to the body, for children who have transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
NCap
a cap with attached nasal prongs to deliver oxygen
NG tube
a naso-gastric tube - for feeding the child through the nose directly into the stomach.
Oedema
extra fluid accumulating in the tissue
Pacemaker
a small battery placed under the skin and joined to the heart by pacing wires, which measure the pulse and corrects too fast or too slow rhythms
Pacing box
when the pulse rate is very irregular or slow an external pacemaker can be used to regulate the heart by attaching it to temporary pacing wires often put in place after heart surgery in case they should be needed
Pacing wire
there is often a problem with heart rhythm after heart surgery, so a pacing wire is left in place just in case it is needed
PDA
Patent or persistent ductus arteriosus - a passage used for circulation before the baby is born remains open, instead of closing shortly after birth. This causes red blood to return from the aorta back to the lungs.
PAPVD.....(or PAPVC/PAPVR)
Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage/Return/Connection - See TAPVD but here only 1 or 2 veins are affected - not all four. may be undiagnosed until later life if occuring on it's own!
Pericardium
lining bag in which the heart sits
PICU
Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
Pericardial effusion
fluid collects in the pericardial sac - the outer covering of the heart - which can be drawn off using a needle, or drained using diuretics
Portage
a service operated by some local authorities whereby advice and support is given to mothers to improve the progress of children with disabilities
Prophylactic
describes a medicine or procedure intended to prevent illness
Pulmonary
to do with the lungs
Pulmonary artery
the blood vessel which takes blood from the heart to the lungs
Pulmonary atresia
blood cannot be pumped to the lungs from the right ventricle through the pulmonary artery, which is blocked or missing
Pulmonary hypertension
high pressure of blood moving into the lungs
Pulmonary stenosis
a narrowing between the right ventricle and the lung artery
Pulmonary Vein Stenosis
an obstruction (blockage) in the pulmonary veins, the blood vessels that bring oxygen - rich blood from the lungs to the heart. Stenosis occurs due to an abnormal process that thickens and narrows the walls in the veins
Ross procedure
replacing the child's aortic valve with his or her own pulmonary valve
RSV
a virus which causes bronchialitis
Red blood
blood which has picked up oxygen from the lungs and travel through the left side of the heart to be pumped around the body
Renal reflux
no valve to keep the urine from passing back up into the kidney
Sats
short for saturation levels (of oxygen in the blood)
Septostomy
making a hole in the septum, the wall, between the left and right chambers of the heart
Shunt
a natural or artificially created passageway between two parts of the heart
Situs inversus
a mirror image arrangement of the organs, so that the heart and stomach are on the right and the liver and spleen on the left
Spell
(particularly with Tetralogy of Fallot) the child becomes bluer, breathless and limp for a period of time
Stenosis
narrowing
Stent
a short, metal mesh tube. Using balloon dilation this is expanded into a narrow artery to hold it open
Sternum
the breastbone
Stroke
loss of brain function related to blockage or bursting of it's blood vessel
Tachycardia
fast heart beat
Tetralogy of Fallot
a Ventricular Septal Defect (hole between the two ventricles) and Pulmonary Stenosis - a narrowing between the right ventricle and the artery carrying blood to the lungs
TAPVC (also TAPVD/TAPVR)
Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (drainage, return), - the pulmonary veins that bring oxygen-rich (red) blood from the lungs back to the heart aren't connected to the left atrium. Instead, the pulmonary veins drain through abnormal connections to the right atrium or one of its venous tributaries.
TCPC
Total Cavo Pulmonary Connection - a surgical procedure which bypasses the right atrium and pulmonary valve
Trachea
windpipe
Tracheostomy
a hole cut into the windpipe to help breathing
Transposition of the great Arteries
the big arteries, which should be taking blue blood from the lungs, and the red blood from the heart to the body, are round the wrong way. This means that deoxygenated blood goes back to the body, and oxygenated blood from the lungs is directed back into the lungs
Tricuspid atresia
the tricuspid valve is absent
Tricuspid valve
the valve between the right atrium and right ventricle which has three cusps
Truncus Arteriosis
there is one single artery arising from the heart which then divides into the lung artery and the body. There is in addition, a large hole between the two pumping chambers
Tube feed
the baby's feed is given through a tube in the nose directly into the stomach - this is so that breathless babies can get enough food
Valve
structure which allows blood flow in one direction and prevents leakage
Vasodilator
a drug to open up blood vessels
Vein
thin walled vessel carrying blood towards the heart
Ventricles
pumping chambers of the heart - left ventricle pumps blood round the body and the right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)
a hole between the two ventricle - the pumping chambers of the heart
Xenograft
tissue from another species
