Tests & Treatments

What's That Mean: Oral Medications

What's That Mean: Injection Medications

What's That Mean: Topical Medications

What's That Mean: Intravenous (I.V.)

This video helps viewers understand what warfarin is, why it is used, and what do do if a doctor prescribes it.

What's That Mean? - Foods to Avoid when Taking Warfarin

What's That Mean? - Medicines to Avoid When Taking Warfarin

What's That Mean? - Exercise, Sports, and Warfarin

When your child is sick, you want to help them get better. Many parents may think antibiotics are the way to go. But they aren't always right for your child. Let's take a few minutes to learn more.

Medicine is often used during and after surgery to help manage pain and keep your child comfortable. Here are some alternative methods to help with pain in addition to medicine.

Taking antibiotics for reasons other than a bacterial infection can cause problems. For example, your child may have side effects from the medicine.

This video shows the steps for taking your child's temperature in the ear.

This video shows the steps for taking your child's temperature under the arm.

Watch this to learn what a laparoscopy is and how the procedure is done.

Your blood can tell a very important story about your health. Sometimes your care team needs to 'draw' small amounts of blood so that they can understand what is happening inside you.

What's That Mean: Blood Draws

Blood tests are a routine part of healthcare. But they can be scary for some kids. How should you talk to your child about blood tests? Let's look at that, and a few other things you can do to make blood tests easier.

What's That Mean? - Coagulate

What's That Mean? - INR

What's That Mean? - INR Goal Range

This video helps viewers understand why doctors might want someone to wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor, what it is, how it is used, and what to expect when wearing one.

What's That Mean? - Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor.

What's That Mean? - White Coat Hypertension

What's That Mean: Baseline

What's That Mean: Lumbar

What's That Mean: Vitals

What's That Mean: MRIs

Your child needs to have an MRI. It's a simple, painless procedure, but it can be scary for kids. So let's learn about how to prepare them.

Your child needs to have a CT scan. It's a simple, painless procedure, but it can be scary for kids. So let's learn about how to prepare them for the scan.

What's That Mean: Pulse Ox

What's That Mean: Temperature

What's That Mean: Pain Signals

What's That Mean: Weight

What's That Mean: Diagnosis

What's That Mean: Electrodes

What's That Mean: Stethoscope

What's That Mean: EEG / Electroencephalography

Sometimes doctors need to measure your brain's electrical activity to understand what is happening inside your body. To do this, they use something called 'electroencephalography' or EEG. This video shows how EEGs are done.

Your body may have 'secrets' but doctors can learn what they are if they look in the right places. This video shows how doctors may do a bone marrow biopsy to help them understand what is happening inside your body.

What's That Mean: Bone Marrow Biopsy

What's That Mean: Lumbar Puncture / LP / Spinal Tap

What's That Mean? - The Faces Pain Scale

What's That Mean? - The Numeric Pain Scale

This sheet describes common tests done to diagnose urinary problems. Your child's healthcare provider will tell you which tests your child needs.

Learn what to expect before during, and after your child has a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). This test uses X-rays to show the flow of urine through the urinary tract. It lets the healthcare provider see how your child's bladder functions.

An ultrasound is a type of imaging test. It uses high-frequency sound waves to make images of organs and other structures inside the body.

An abdominal ultrasound uses sound waves to take pictures of abdominal organs. It's painless and noninvasive. It's often used to assess abdominal pain or to find problems like enlarged organs.

An upper GI series is an X-ray exam of the upper digestive tract. Here's what you should know when your child needs this exam.

A colonoscopy is a test that lets a healthcare provider look inside the colon and rectum. A sigmoidoscopy is a shorter form of this test. It looks at only the lower part of the colon (the sigmoid colon) and the rectum.

Read on for details about common lab tests used to diagnose problems with the digestive system in children.

To treat celiac disease, remove all sources of gluten from your child's diet. It's important to do this even if your child is not feeling sick. Removing gluten will prevent symptoms and health problems caused by celiac disease.

This bowel operation may involve the small intestine, large intestine (colon), or rectum. This sheet tells you how to prepare for the surgery and what to expect during it. It also tells you how to help your child recover afterward.

If your child is having trouble swallowing food or liquids safely, the healthcare provider may suggest tube feeding. Tube feeding is often done with a nasogastric (NG) tube.

If your child is having trouble swallowing food or liquid safely, a feeding tube may be needed. This is a special tube used to put liquid food or medicine straight into your child's stomach or intestine. It may be used if your child can't take enough food or liquid by mouth for proper growth.

Read on to learn about giving your child liquid food through total parenteral nutrition (TPN).

Your child has a colostomy. This procedure involved cutting (and sometimes removing) part of the colon (large intestine). The end of the colon was attached to a small hole made in the abdominal wall. This creates an opening in the skin called a stoma. Stool and mucus pass out of the body through this opening into a holding bag. Here are guidelines for home care after a colostomy. The healthcare provider and nursing staff may give you additional instructions for your child.

Your child has had a procedure called an ileostomy. This surgery affects part of the colon (large intestine) and part of the last section of the ileum (small intestine). Parts of your child's colon and ileum were cut. Parts may have been removed. A small hole called a stoma is made in the abdominal wall and skin. During surgery, the intestine is attached to the skin to allow stool and mucus to pass out of the body. The stool and mucus drain into a holding bag. Below are guidelines for home care after an ileostomy. The doctor and nursing staff may give you other instructions for your child.

A liver biopsy is a quick test that helps see how healthy your child's liver is. During a percutaneous liver biopsy, a needle is inserted through the skin and into the liver. A small sample of liver tissue is then taken. The tissue is sent to the lab to be studied.

A blood test can be stressful for both you and your child. You can take steps to make the process easier. Tell your child that you will do what you can to make it go smoothly. Read on for tips that may help.

Lung (pulmonary) function tests are breathing tests done to see how well your child's lungs are working. They're also used to see how well the lungs are growing and working in premature babies.

Pulmonary function tests can help tell how well your child's lungs are working or how well the lungs are responding to medicine. These noninvasive, painless tests are done starting at around age 5 or 6. Read on for details.

Use this sheet to help you remember how to place your child's NG tube when you get home.

Detailed information on how to feed your child using a nasogastric (NG) feeding tube.

You'll need to flush your child's tube regularly to keep it from getting clogged. Read on for helpful details on how to do it.

Your child is going home with either a gastrostomy tube (G tube) or a gastro-jejunum tube (G-J tube) in place. You'll need to feed your child through this tube. You were shown how to do this before your child was discharged from the hospital. This sheet will help you remember those steps at home.

If your child has a problem affecting the intestines, they may need a stoma (opening). A stoma provides a new way for stool and mucus to leave the body. During surgery to create a stoma, the colon or sometimes part of the small intestine is removed or disconnected. The end of the intestine is then rerouted through the abdominal wall. Waste leaves the body through the stoma and empties into a bag. It's important to help care for your child's stoma at home. You can help your child adjust to having a stoma.

Your child is going home with a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) or gastro-jejunum tube (G-J tube) in place. This sheet can help you remember how to flush your child's tube when you and your child are at home.

You were given home care instructions for your child's G-tube or G-J tube before he or she was discharged from the hospital. This sheet can help you remember those steps when you and your child are at home.

Your child is going home with a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) in place. The tube is placed through the abdominal wall into your child's stomach. It has a balloon filled with water on the end inside the stomach. The balloon keeps the tube in place. You must check the balloon regularly. This is to make sure it holds the amount of water prescribed by your child's healthcare provider. Here are instructions to help you remember the steps at home.

A sleep study is a way to measure what's going on during a child's sleep. It's also known as a polysomnogram. It is a painless test done overnight in a hospital or clinic.

Your child's healthcare provider or home health nurse will tell you how much liquid food to use for each feeding.

Here are images that show the steps for taking your child's temperature under the arm.

Here are images that show the steps for taking your child's temperature in the ear.

Here are images that show the steps for taking your child's temperature by mouth.

Here are images that show the steps for taking your child's rectal temperature.

This video shows the steps for doing percussive postural drainage for your child.

This video shows the steps for placing an NG tube for your baby.

This video shows the steps for suctioning your child's tracheostomy.

What's That Mean: Procedure

There are 5 common ways to get medicine into your body. This video covers each one (oral, topical, inhalation, injection, and IV) and gives you tips on how to make the medicine "go down easier."

What's That Mean? - Leftover Medicine

What's That Mean: Chest Tube

What's That Mean: Chest Tube Drainage System

There's a space between the bones and muscles of your chest wall and your lungs called the "pleural space." Sometimes, because of an injury or illness, this space fills up with air or fluid. If this happens, doctors may need to get the air or fluid out with something called a 'chest tube.' This video shows how it is done.

What's That Mean: Postural Drainage

What's That Mean: Butterfly Needle

What's That Mean: Central Line

What's That Mean: Hickman

What's That Mean: IV

What's That Mean: Nasogastric Tube / NG Tube

Sometimes you have stuff in your stomach (like too much air of fluid) that's got to come out. And sometimes you might need a little help getting stuff (like food or medicine) into your stomach. To get things into or out of your belly, your doctor may want to insert an "NG" tube. This video shows you what you need to know about NG tube insertion.

What's That Mean: PICC

If you're going to need treatment for more than a few days, your care team may decide to use a "central line" to get medicine into your body. This video discusses the 3 most common central lines: PICCs, Ports, and Hickmans.

What's That Mean: Port

What's That Mean? - Distractions (from Pain)

W is for Water

Your body may have 'secrets' but doctors can learn what they are if they look in the right places. This video shows how doctors may take a small sample of fluid from your spine to help them understand what is happening inside your body.

Phlegm is a thick, sticky liquid your lungs make to protect you against things like germs and pollution. If your body has trouble getting rid of all the phlegm by itself, "chest physical therapy" can help. This video shows how.

What's That Mean: Chest Physical Therapy (CPT)

What's That Mean: Numbing Cream

What's That Mean: Pedialyte

What's That Mean? - Taking Opioid Medicine Safely

When your child has a serious medical issue, you need to think fast. Do you need an ambulance? Should you rush your child to the ER? Or would an urgent care clinic be best? Let's learn about your options.

Children with urinary tract problems may require clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). This is the temporary placement of a tube (catheter) to help drain the bladder. A parent or another adult does CIC until the child learns how to do it. Children as young as 5 years old can do their own CICs.

An uncircumcised penis still has the foreskin attached. Caring for your newborn's penis is fairly easy. Here are things to keep in mind.

If your child's ear is missing or not developed, he or she may need to have auricular reconstruction. This is when a framework for the outer ear is made from cartilage.

This surgery can help reconstruct your chid's outer ear that is missing or underdeveloped. This condition is called microtia.

This surgery can help reconstruct your child's missing or underdeveloped outer ear.

Your child has had surgery to remove tonsils or adenoids. Your child will need time to get better. Below are guidelines for your child's recovery.

Your child's hearing should improve once the tubes are in place. For best results, follow up as instructed by your child's surgeon. In some cases, ear problems may continue. But you can help prevent ear infections by using good ear care.

Tympanostomy is a type of ear surgery. It puts a tiny tube into the eardrum. The tube drains fluid buildup and balances air pressure on both sides of the eardrum.

Your child may be having surgery to take out the tonsils or adenoids. If needed, the tonsils and adenoids can be taken out during the same surgery. The 2 procedures are described here.

Most kids outgrow bedwetting over time. But your child's healthcare provider may suggest ways to speed up the process. This includes the ideas outlined on this sheet.

Your child is diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP). This blood disorder causes your child's immune system to destroy their body's own platelets (cells that help stop bleeding). Here's what you need to know about home care.

Sickle cell anemia runs in families, and often affects African-Americans. Here are tips for treatment and home care for your child.

A groin hernia is when a small sac of intestine or fat pokes through a weak area of muscle into the lower abdomen. The weak area of muscle is formed that way before birth. The sac is formed by tissue that lines the abdomen. This kind of hernia usually happens on one side of the groin. It is felt as a bulge under the skin.

Hernias in children are common. They're caused by a defect in the belly (abdominal) wall. They are present at birth. Most often, the hernia forms in the groin or umbilical area. It can often be felt as a bulge under the skin. Childhood hernias can be safely fixed using outpatient (same-day) surgery. Best of all, most children get better quickly with only minor discomfort.

During a liver transplant, your child's sick liver is removed. It's replaced with a healthy donor liver. This sheet will help you understand the process leading up to your child's transplant.

Blood loss can happen if your child has an injury, surgery, or an illness that affects blood cells. Your child may receive a transfusion. Strict measures are taken to make sure that donated blood is safe before it's given to your child. This sheet helps you understand how a blood transfusion is done.

A Foley catheter is a soft, thin, flexible tube placed into the bladder to drain urine. Learn the details of the procedure, and how to help your child get ready.

A Foley catheter is a soft, thin, flexible tube placed in the bladder to drain urine. Learn what your child can expect before, during, and after the procedure.

Your child's PICC line is an important part of his or her healthcare. To care for your child's PICC line, you'll need to flush it. Here are instructions on what to do.

Speech-language therapy is the main treatment. Since there is no single method that treats apraxia, SLPs often use a variety of methods.

Selective mutism is when a child can't speak in certain settings, but can speak fine in others. For example, a child may not be able to speak at school, but can speak with no problem at home. It is called selective mutism because the child is only mute in certain situations.

Here are images that show the steps for changing your child's tracheostomy.

Here are images that show the steps for doing percussive postural drainage for your child.

Here are images that show the steps for suctioning your child's tracheostomy.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small hole between the 2 upper chambers of the heart, the right and the left atrium. A robotic-assisted patent foramen repair is a type of surgery to fix this hole in the heart.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small hole between the 2 upper chambers of the heart, the right and the left atrium. Patent foramen transcatheter repair is a procedure to fix this hole in the heart.

A ketogenic diet is a special type of diet that causes the body to make ketones. The diet is very high in fat, and very low in carbohydrates. It includes enough protein to help your child grow.

The Pavlik harness is a soft splint. It is most often used for treating infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). It helps keep the infant's hips and knees bent and the thighs spread apart. It can also help promote healing in babies with broken thighbones (femurs).

This type of brain surgery helps fix a problem with a VP shunt.

You've recently had a blood transfusion. A blood transfusion may be done when you have lost blood because of an injury or during surgery. It can also be done because of diseases or conditions that affect the blood.

What's That Mean: Medical Images

U is for Ulrasound

What's That Mean: CT Scans

There's an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. A picture of the inside of your body -- called a "medical image" -- may be worth more than that! This video discusses three different ways your care team can take a medical image: x-rays, CT scans, and MRIs.

A CT scan is an imaging test. CT images give more details than a regular X-ray. The scan can be used for any part of the body.

Most MRI tests take 30 to 60 minutes. Depending on the type of MRI your child is having, the test may take longer. Give yourself extra time to check your child in.

During an X-ray exam, a small amount of radiation is used to make pictures of bones and some internal organs. Read on to learn what to expect when your child needs an X-ray.

A barium enema is an X-ray exam of the lower digestive tract (colon and rectum). This exam is used to find problems such as narrowing), blockages, or tissue growths. Here's what you and your child can expect.

A modified barium swallow is used to test your child's ability to swallow. It uses barium, a substance that makes organs show more clearly on X-rays. This test may be suggested if your child has problems swallowing food. Read on to learn more.

An upper endoscopy is a test that shows the inside of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This includes the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). The healthcare provider can do a biopsy, check for problems, or remove objects. The test normally takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

A Meckel's scan is an imaging test used to detect a Meckel's diverticulum. This is a small, abnormal pocket in the wall of a child's large intestine.

A nuclear medicine scan is a type of imaging test. It's done to help diagnose and treat a number of diseases. This type of test uses small amounts of radioactive matter.

X-rays are a type of imaging test. They are done to help diagnose and treat a number of diseases. This type of test uses small amounts of radioactive material.

A Meckel's scan is an imaging test used to detect a Meckel's diverticulum. This is a small, abnormal pocket in the wall of a child's small intestine.