Pediatric Cardiology Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
inotropic support
Pharmacological assistance to improve cardiac contractility in pediatric patients with heart failure or after cardiac surgery.
pulmonary vascular resistance
The resistance to blood flow through the pulmonary circulation, measured to assess operability in congenital heart disea...
Qp:Qs ratio
The ratio of pulmonary blood flow to systemic blood flow, used to quantify left-to-right shunting in congenital heart di...
Rashkind procedure
An emergency catheter-based procedure to create or enlarge an atrial septal defect in newborns with certain cyanotic hea...
Rastelli operation
A surgical procedure to repair truncus arteriosus using a conduit to establish continuity between the right ventricle an...
Ross procedure
Surgical procedure that replaces the aortic valve with the patient's own pulmonary valve, with a conduit then placed fro...
RVOT
Right ventricular outflow tract, the pathway through which blood exits the right ventricle toward the pulmonary arteries...
Sano modification
Right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit used in Norwood stage 1 as alternative to BT shunt.
Senning operation
Atrial switch procedure for transposition using autologous tissue to redirect venous return.
Single Ventricle Physiology
A cardiac condition where only one functional ventricle is present, requiring staged surgical palliation.
somatic growth
Physical growth and development parameters closely monitored in children with congenital heart disease.
staged palliation
Sequential surgical approach for complex congenital heart disease requiring multiple operations.
subaortic stenosis
Obstruction of left ventricular outflow occurring below the aortic valve, commonly due to fibrous membrane or muscular r...
systemic right ventricle
Right ventricle functioning as the systemic pumping chamber, typically after atrial switch operations.
systemic venous baffle
Surgically created pathway that redirects systemic venous return in certain congenital heart operations.
systemic ventricular dysfunction
Impaired function of the ventricle that pumps blood to the systemic circulation, particularly relevant in congenital hea...
systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt
Surgical connection between the systemic and pulmonary circulations to increase pulmonary blood flow in cyanotic heart d...
Systemic-to-Pulmonary Collateral Arteries
Abnormal vascular connections that develop between systemic arteries and pulmonary circulation, typically in patients wi...
systemic-to-pulmonary shunt
Surgical connection between systemic and pulmonary circulations to increase pulmonary blood flow in cyanotic congenital...
Tetralogy of Fallot
A complex congenital heart defect comprising four anatomical abnormalities that restrict blood flow to the lungs.
total anomalous pulmonary venous return
A congenital heart defect where all pulmonary veins connect abnormally to the systemic venous circulation instead of the...
Transcatheter Device Closure
A minimally invasive procedure using implantable devices delivered via cardiac catheterization to close septal defects o...
transposition of the great arteries
A cyanotic congenital heart defect where the positions of the pulmonary artery and aorta are switched.
tricuspid atresia
A congenital heart defect characterized by the absence or imperforate nature of the tricuspid valve.
truncus arteriosus
A congenital heart defect where a single large vessel arises from the heart instead of separate aorta and pulmonary arte...