A

aerobic activity air-OH-bik Aerobic activity is any kind ofmovement that

makes your muscles use oxygen. It gets
yourheart pumping, too. Swimming, dancing,
and soccer are all typesof aerobic activity, so hit
that pool, dance floor, or soccer field and get
moving!
anesthesia ah-nes-THEE- Special medicine that causes sleepiness and
zhuh prevents pain during surgery.
angina an-JY-nuh People with angina feel a pain in the chest that
means the heart isn't getting enough oxygen.
angioplasty AN-jee-uh-plas-tee This operation opens a blocked blood vessel by
using a balloon-like device at an artery's
narrowest point. The doctor also may insert a
stent, which is a tiny tube that props the vessel
open and makes sure blood flows freely.
aorta ay-OR-tah The aorta is the major blood vessel that carries
blood away from the heart to the rest of the
body.
aortic stenosis ay-OR-tick steh- In aortic stenosis, the aortic valve is stiffened
NOH-sis and has a narrowed opening (a condition called
stenosis). It does not open properly, which
increases strain on the heart because the left
ventricle has to pump harder to send blood out
to the body.
aortic valve The aortic valve is one of two valves in charge of
controlling the flow of blood as it leaves the
heart. The other is the pulmonary valve. These
valves work to keep the blood flowing forward.
They open up to let the blood move ahead, then
close quickly to keep the blood from flowing
backward.
arrhythmia uh-RITH-mee-uh An arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat usually
caused by an electrical "short circuit" in the
heart. It can cause the heart to pump too fast,
too slow, or irregularly, which may lead to
shortness of breath, dizziness, and chest pain.
arteries and veins AR-tuh-reez & If you've ever seen a road map, you probably
vayns saw many roads going here, there, and
everywhere. Your body has a highway system
all its own that sends blood to and from your
body parts. It's called the circulatory system and
the roads are called arteries and veins. Arteries,
which usually look red, carry blood away from
the heart. Veins, which usually look blue, return
blood to the heart.
arteriosclerosis ar-TEER-ee-oh- Also called hardening of the arteries,
skluh-ROH-sus arteriosclerosis means the arteries become
thickened and less flexible.
atria AY-tree-yuh The two chambers at the top of the heart are
called the atria. The atria are the chambers that
fill with the blood returning to the heart from the
body and lungs. The heart has a left atrium and
a right atrium.
atrial septal (ASD): AY-tree-uhl SEP- ASD is a hole in the heart wall (called the
tuhl septum) that separates the left atrium and the
right atrium.
atrioventricular AY-tree-oh-ven- This defect — also known as endocardial
canal defect: TRIK-yoo-lar cushion defect or atrioventricular septal defect
— is caused by a poorly formed central area of
the heart. Typically, there is a large hole
between the upper chambers of the heart (the
atria) and, often, an additional hole between the
lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles).
Instead of two separate valves allowing flow into
the heart, there is one large common valve that
might be quite malformed.
atrium AY-tree-uhm The two upper chambers of the heart are called
the atria. They are the chambers that fill with the
blood returning to the heart from the body and
lungs. The heart has a left atrium and a right
atrium.
B
bacterial bak-TEER-ee-ul If bacteria travel through the blood and get stuck
endocarditis en-doh-kar-DYE- on a heart valve, this can cause this infection in
tus the heart. People with congenital heart disease
or heart valve problems are most at risk of
getting bacterial endocarditis.
blood pressure Check your blood pressure! When you go to the
doctor, a nurse might put a band (called a blood
pressure cuff) around part of your arm and pump
air into the cuff, blowing it up like a balloon. Your
arm might feel a little squished, but don't worry
— that's how a nurse checks your blood
pressure. This test shows how hard your heart is
pumping to move blood through your body.
Blood pressure can be too high or too low.
blood vessels Blood moves through many tubes called arteries
and veins, which together are called blood
vessels. The blood vessels that carry blood
away from the heart are called arteries. The
ones that carry blood back to the heart are
called veins.
C
capillary KAP-ih-lair-ee A capillary is an extremely small , thin blood
vessel that allows oxygen to pass from the blood
into the tissues of the body. Waste products like
carbon dioxide pass from the tissues to the
blood through the capillaries.
cardiac KAR-dee-ak ka- A cardiac catheterization is a medical procedure
catheterization thuh-ter-uh-ZAY- that provides information about the heart
shun structures and function. Doctors can measure
pressure and blood oxygen levels within the
heart chambers.
cardiologist kar-dee-AHL-uh- This kind of doctor knows all about the heart and
jist how it works. A kid who has a heart problem will
visit a pediatric cardiologist, who mainly treats
kids. Cardiologists treat all kinds of heart
problems, from heart murmurs to high blood
pressure.
cardiovascular kar-dee-oh-VAS- Cardiovascular disease is a group of problems
disease: kyuh-ler that occur when the heart and blood vessels
aren't working the way they should.
cardiovascular The heart and circulatory system (also called the
system cardiovascular system) make up the network
that delivers blood to the body's tissues. With
each heartbeat, blood is sent throughout our
bodies, carrying oxygen and nutrients to all of
our cells. The cardiovascular system is
composed of the heart and blood vessels,
including arteries, veins, and capillaries.
carotid artery: kuh-RAH-tid The carotid arteries are the two large blood
vessels in the neck that supply blood to the
brain.
catheter KA-thuh-ter A catheter is a thin, flexible tube. It can be
inserted into a blood vessel in the leg, arm, or
neck and threaded to the heart during a cardiac
catheterization.
catheterization KA-thuh-tuh-ruh- In this procedure, a long, thin tube is inserted
ZAY-shun into the patient's body to inject a special dye,
which can show narrowed areas in arteries due
to plaque buildup and find other heart problems.
chambers The heart has four different sections, or
chambers. These chambers are connected to
each other by valves that control how much
blood enters each chamber at any one time.
circulation ser-kyuh-LAY- The movement of the blood through the heart
shun and around the body is called circulation. Your
heart is really good at it — it takes less than 60
seconds to pump blood to every cell in your
body.
circulatory SER-kyuh-luh-tor- The circulatory system is composed of the heart
system: ee and blood vessels, including arteries, veins, and
capillaries. Our bodies actually have two
circulatory systems. The pulmonary circulation is
a short loop from the heart to the lungs and back
again, and the systemic circulation (the system
we usually think of as our circulatory system)
sends blood from the heart to all the other parts
of our bodies and back again.
coarctation of the coh-ark-TAY-shun Coarctation of the aorta is a narrowing of a
aorta (COA): portion of the aorta, and often seriously
decreases the blood flow from the heart out to
the lower portion of the body.
congenital heart kuhn-JEN-ih-tuhl Congenital heart defects are abnormalities in the
defects: heart's structure that are present at birth.
Congenital heart defects happen because of
incomplete or abnormal development of the
fetus' heart during the very early weeks of
pregnancy. Some are known to be associated
with genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome,
but the cause of most congenital heart defects is
unknown. While they can't be prevented, there
are many treatments for the defects and related
health problems.
contraction kuhn-TRAK-shun You'll know that you've found your pulse when
you can feel a small beat under your skin. Each
beat is caused by the contraction (squeezing) of
your heart.
E
echocardiogram eh-ko-KAR-dee- An echocardiogram test uses sound waves to
uh-gram diagnose heart problems. These waves are
bounced off the parts of the heart, creating a
 picture of the heart that is displayed on a
monitor. Getting an echocardiogram doesn't hurt
at all.
electrocardiogram eh-lek-tro-KAR- An electrocardiogram (or EKG) test records the
dee-uh-gram heart's electrical activity. Sticky pads
(electrodes) are placed on the chest and hooked
up to a machine that records the heart activity
onto paper or a monitor. A doctor can interpret
the EKG to see the heart beating and determine
if it's normal. Getting an EKG doesn't hurt at all.
endocarditis en-doh-car-DYE- An infection of the inner lining of the heart and
tis heart valves.
H
heart The heart is a strong muscle about the size of
your fist. It pumps blood through blood vessels
around the body and sits inside the chest,
protected by the ribcage. The blood carries
oxygen and other nutrients your body needs.
heart and The heart and circulatory system (also called the
circulatory system cardiovascular system) make up the network
that delivers blood to the body's tissues. With
each heartbeat, blood is sent throughout our
bodies, carrying oxygen and nutrients to all of
our cells. The circulatory system is composed of
the heart and blood vessels, including arteries,
veins, and capillaries.
heart attack A heart attack happens when a blood clot or
other blockage cuts blood flow to a part of the
heart.
heart murmur You know the sound of your heartbeat: lub-dub,
lub-dub. In some people, there's an extra noise
that the blood makes as it flows through the
heart. This sound is called a murmur. They're
commonly heard in healthy kids with normal
hearts, but an abnormal heart murmur can mean
a person has a heart defect or heart valve
problem.
hypertension This is another word for high blood pressure.
hypoplastic left hi-poh-PLAS-tik When the structures of the left side of the heart
heart syndrome (the left ventricle, the mitral valve, and the aortic
valve) are underdeveloped, they're unable to
pump blood adequately to the entire body. This
condition is usually diagnosed within the first few
days of life.
I
involuntary in-VOL-un-tair-ee You don't have any say over what this kind of
muscle: muscle does and when. It just does its thing and
works without you even thinking about it. Your
heart is an involuntary muscle, which is how it
keeps beating all day and night. Other
involuntary muscles help digest food and are
found in your stomach and intestines.
L
left atrium The left atrium is one of the four chambers of the
heart. It receives oxygen-rich blood from the
lungs and then empties the blood into the left
ventricle through the mitral valve.
left ventricle The left ventricle is one of the four chambers of
the heart. It pumps oxygen-rich blood out to the
rest of the body. Blood leaves the left ventricle
 through the aortic valve and enters the aorta, the
largest artery in the body. Blood then flows from
the aorta into the branches of many smaller
arteries, providing the body's organs and tissues
with the oxygen and nutrients they need.
M
mitral valve: MY-truhl The mitral valve lets blood flow from the left
atrium to the left ventricles.
mitral valve In someone with mitral valve prolapse (MVP)
prolapse one or both of the valve's flaps don't close
smoothly and collapse (or prolapse) back into
the atrium.
murmur see heart
murmur.
P
patent ductus DUCK-tuss ar-tee- The ductus arteriosus (DA) is a normal blood
arteriosus (PDA): ree-OH-sis vessel in a fetus (a baby before it is born) that
diverts blood flow away from the lungs. (The
lungs are not used until a baby is born — the
fetus gets oxygen directly from the mother's
placenta.) The DA usually closes on its own
shortly after birth because the newborn can
breathe on his or her own. If the DA doesn't
close, this is called patent ductus arteriosus
(PDA), which can result in too much blood flow
to a newborn's lungs. PDA is common in
premature babies.
pediatric This kind of doctor knows all about children's
cardiologist hearts and how they work. A kid with a heart
problem will visit a pediatric cardiologist.
Cardiologists treat all kinds of heart problems,
from heart murmurs to high blood pressure.
pulmonary PULL-muh-nair-ee Pulmonary is word that means lungs or related
to breathing.
pulmonary artery a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart
to the lungs, where the blood picks up oxygen
and then returns to the heart.
pulmonary vein one of four veins that carry oxygen-rich blood
from the lungs to the heart.
pulmonary atresia uh-TREE-zhuh With pulmonary atresia, the pulmonic valve does
not open at all and may indeed be completely
absent. The main blood vessel that runs
between the right ventricle and the lungs also
may be malformed and the right ventricle can be
abnormally small.
pulmonary steh-NOH-sis In pulmonary stenosis, the pulmonic valve is
stenosis stiffened and has a narrowed opening. It does
not open properly, which increases strain on the
right side of the heart because the right ventricle
has to pump harder to send blood out to the
lungs.
pulmonary One of two valves in charge of controlling the
(pulmonic) valve flow as the blood leaves the heart. The other
one is the aortic valve. These valves all work to
keep the blood flowing forward. They open up to
let the blood move ahead, then they close
quickly to keep the blood from flowing backward.
pulse Your beating heart creates a pulse. Your heart
has to push so much blood through your body
that you can feel a little thump in your arteries
 each time the heart beats. Wow! The most
common places to feel a pulse are on your wrist
and your neck. So try to find your pulse and feel
the beat!
R
red blood cells Red blood cells have the important job of
carrying oxygen. These cells, which float in your
blood, begin their journey in the lungs, where
they pick up oxygen from the air you breathe.
Then they travel to the heart, which pumps out
the blood, delivering oxygen to all parts of your
body.
right atrium The right atrium is one of the four chambers of
the heart. After oxygen in the blood is released
to the tissues, the now deoxygenated (oxygen-
poor) blood returns to the heart through veins,
the blood vessels that carry deoxygenated
blood. This blood, which appears blue, enters
the right atrium of the heart and then travels
across the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle.
right ventricle The right ventricle is one of the four chambers of
the heart. It pumps deoxygenated blood through
the pulmonic valve into the lungs. The oxygen in
the air we breathe binds to red blood cells that
are being pumped through the lungs. The
oxygen-rich blood, which appears red, then
returns to the left atrium and enters the left
ventricle, where it is pumped out to the body
once again.
S
septum SEP-tum The septum is a thick wall of muscle that divides
the heart. It separates the left and right sides of
the heart.
stent: A tiny tube that props a blood vessel open and
makes sure blood flows freely
stethoscope STETH-eh-skope A doctor uses a stethoscope to hear your
heartbeat and other sounds that the inside of
your body makes. By listening to your heart,
lungs, and belly, the doctor gets information
about how things are working inside.
stress test For this test, the person exercises (usually on a
treadmill) while the doctor checks breathing,
heart rate, blood pressure, and
electrocardiogram to see how the heart muscle
reacts.
stroke A stroke can happen when part of the brain
doesn't get enough blood due to a clot or a burst
blood vessel.
T
tricuspid atresia: try-KUS-pid) Blood normally flows from the right
atrium to the right ventricle through the tricuspid
valve. In tricuspid atresia, the valve is replaced
by a plate or membrane that does not open. The
right ventricle therefore does not receive blood
normally and is often small.
tricuspid valve The tricuspid valve lets blood flow from the right
atria to the right ventricle.
truncus arteriosus TRUN-kuss ar-tee- In an embryo, the aorta and the pulmonary
ree-OH-sis artery are initially a single vessel. During normal
development, that vessel splits to form the two
 major arteries. If that split does not occur, the
child is born with a single blood vessel called the
truncus arteriosus. There is usually a hole
between the ventricles associated with this
defect.
V
valve Your heart has four valves. A valve lets
something in and keeps it there by closing, like a
door. The door shuts behind you and keeps you
from going backward. Heart valves ensure that
blood flows properly in and out of the heart.
veins and arteries body has a highway system all its own that
sends blood to and from your body parts. It's
called the circulatory system, and the roads are
arteries and veins. Arteries, which usually look
red, carry blood away from the heart. Veins,
which usually look blue, return blood to the
heart.
ventricles VEN-trih-kuhls The two chambers at the bottom of the heart are
called the ventricles. The heart has a left
ventricle and a right ventricle. Their job is to
pump the blood to the body and lungs.
ventricular septal ven-TRICK-yuh-ler One of the most common congenital heart
defect (VSD): defects, VSD is a hole in the wall (septum)
between the heart's left and right ventricles.
These can occur at different locations and vary
in size from very small to very large. Smaller
defects may gradually close on their own.
W
white blood cells White blood cells are part of the germ-fighting
immune system. They are like little warriors
floating around in your blood waiting to attack
invaders, like viruses and bacteria. You have
several types of white blood cells and each has
its own special role in fighting off the different
kinds of germs that make people sick.