Right atrium: one of the four chambers of the heart. The right atrium receives blood low in oxygen from the body and then empties the blood into the right ventricle.

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Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a birth defect of a baby’s heart. The left side of the heart doesn’t grow as it should, making it smaller and weaker than normal.

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Dictionary: Aorta

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

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Dictionary: Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt

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

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Dictionary: Blood Pressure

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

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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.

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Dictionary: Inferior Vena Cava

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

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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.

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Dictionary: Left Atrium

The left atrium receives blood full of oxygen from the lungs and then empties the blood into the left ventricle.

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Dictionary: Left Ventricle

The left ventricle pumps blood full of oxygen out to the body.

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Dictionary: Open-Heart Surgery

Open-heart surgery is surgery that involves opening the chest and heart. A heart-lung machine does the work for the heart and lungs during the procedure.

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Dictionary: Sano shunt

A Sano shunt is a small, soft tube that lets blood in the body be redirected.

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Dictionary: Single Ventricle Defect

Having a single ventricle means that only one of the heart's two ventricles (pumping chambers) works well enough to pump blood.

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Dictionary: Superior Vena Cava

The superior vena cava is the large vein that returns blood from the head and arms to the heart.

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Heart and Circulatory System

The heart and circulatory system are our body's lifeline, delivering blood to the body's tissues. Brush up on your ticker with this body basics article.

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