All posts by Kids Heart

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Magnetic resonance imaging is another way to take clear pictures of the heart and surrounding blood vessels and measure heart function. The MRI uses painless magnet waves to evaluate the heart and the blood vessels connected to the heart and lungs. Often a small IV will need to be placed in […]

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The Normal Heart and How It Works

The normal heart is a strong, hard-working pump made of muscle tissue. It’s about the size of a person’s fist. The heart has four chambers. The upper two chambers are the atria, and the lower two are the ventricles (Figure A). The chambers are separated by a wall of tissue called the septum. Blood is […]

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What is Heart Failure?

You don’t have to face HF alone The term “heart failure” makes it sound like the heart is no longer working at all and there’s nothing that can be done. Actually, heart failure means that the heart isn’t pumping as well as it should be. Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure that requires seeking […]

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Types of Heart Failure

Left-sided heart failure The heart’s pumping action moves oxygen-rich blood as it travels from the lungs to the left atrium, then on to the left ventricle, which pumps it to the rest of the body. The left ventricle supplies most of the heart’s pumping power, so it’s larger than the other chambers and essential for normal […]

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