kidshealth library

health & safety topics

Your child's health and safety is our top priority. Please search our resource library for information on health, nutrition, fitness, injury prevention and other important topics.

search by topic

or search alphabetical order

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

clear filters

Heart & Blood Vessels

Congestive Heart Failure

Heart failure is when the heart can’t pump blood the way it should. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is when blood backs up in the heart.

DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure

Doctor may recommend the DASH diet for kids who've had a blood pressure reading that was higher than normal. The DASH diet is not a strict diet, but more of a lifestyle.

Dictionary: Aorta

The aorta is the major blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.

Dictionary: Blalock-Taussig-Thomas (BTT) shunt

A Blalock-Taussig-Thomas (BTT) shunt is a small, soft tube that lets blood in the body be redirected.

Dictionary: Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a measurement that tells how hard the heart is pumping to move blood through the blood vessels.

Dictionary: Heart Transplant

A heart transplant is a surgery where doctors remove a person's sick heart and replace it with a healthy donor heart.

Dictionary: Inferior Vena Cava

The inferior vena cava is the large vein that returns blood from the legs and abdomen to the heart.

Dictionary: Interstage Period

Babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) need three surgeries. The time between the first and second surgeries is called the interstage period.