Term | Definition |
diastolic phase | ventricles relax and fill with blood through the aorta |
implantable cardioverter defibrillator | small, lightweight electronic device that is place under the skin
or muscle in either chest or abdomen to monitor heart's rhythm |
cardiac tamponade | compression of the heart caused by the accumulation of blood or other fluid within the pericardial sac, thus preventing the ventricles from adequately filling or pumping blood |
hypoxemia | insufficient oxygenation of arterial blood |
palpitation | pounding or racing of the heart associated with normal emotional responses or with heart disorders |
angina pectoris | severe pain and constriction around the heart, creating a feeling of pressure in the anterior chest |
coarctation of the aorta | congenital heart defect characterized by a localized narrowing of the aorta |
ascites | abnormal collection of fluid in the peritoneal cavity |
arrhythmia | an deviation form the normal pattern of the heartbeat
i.e. atrial flutter, fibrillation, heart block, ventricular tachycardia |
claudication | medical term for cramp-like pain in the calves of the legs caused by poor circulation |
myocarditis | inflammation of the heart muscle |
tacycardia | abnormally rapid heart rate |
hyperlipidemia | excessive level of fats in the blood |
secondary hypertension | hypertension as a complication of kidney disease |
endocarditis | inflammation of the lining and valves of the heart |
myocardial infarction | commonly known as a "heart attack" |
patent ductus arteriosus | PDA - abnormal opening between the pulmonary artery and the aorta |
tetralogy of Fallot | congenital heart anomaly that consists of four separate defects |
atherosclerosis | fatty deposits building up within arterial walls |
essential hypertension | accounts for % of all hypertension |
arteriosclerosis | hardening of the arteries |
aneurysm | localized dilatation of an artery which may rupture |
thrombophlebitis | inflammation of a vein associated with clot formation |
varicose veins | enlarged, twisted, dilated veins with incompetent valves |
mitral valve prolapse | click-murmur syndrome |
ventricular tachycardia | condition in which the ventricles of the heart beat at a rate of beats per minute; characterized by three or more consecutive premature ventricular contractions |
venous insufficiency | abnormal circulatory condition characterized by decreased return of venous blood from the legs to the trunk of the body |
dyspnea | difficulty breathing |
cardiomyopathy | disease of the heart muscle, primarily affecting the pumping ability of the heart |
asystole | absence of contractions of the heart |
percutaneous transluminal | balloon procedure |
Holter monitoring | a continuous EKG |
electrocardiogram | EKG - records heart electrical activity |
directional coronary atherectomy | plaque is removed via a catheter |
coronary bypass surgery | rerouting coronary blood flow |
sclerotherapy | varicose vein treatment - injecting a chemical into the vein |
echocardiography | evaluates heart structure coronary angioplasty and function |
anastomosis | surgical joining of two blood vessels |
Purkinje fibers | spread electrical impulse to the ventricles - part of the conduction system of the heart |
sinoatrial node | pacemaker of the heart |
mediastinum | where the heart is located - in the thoracic cavity between the lungs, just behind the sternum |
precordium | area of the chest covering the heart |
pericardium | dcuble membranous sac that encloses the heart |
parietal pericardium | outer covering of the pericardium |
visceral pericardium/epicardium | inner layer of the pericardium |
pericardial cavity | small space between the parietal pericardium and the epicardium or visceral pericardium |
three layers of the heart | epicardium (outer), myocardium (middle-muscle), endocardium (inner) |
four chambers of the heart | right and left atria (singular: atrium) - right and left ventricles (ventricle) |
septum | separates right and left side of the heart |
interartrial septum | divides the walls of the left and right atria |
interventricular septum | divides the walls of the ventricles |
pulmonary circulation | circulation of the blood from the heart to the lungs for oxygenation back to the heart |
systemic circulation | circulation of the blood from the heart to all parts of the body and back to the heart |
circulation through the heart | superior/inferior vena cava-right atrium-tricuspid valve-right ventricle-pulmonary valve-pulmonary arteries-lung-pulmonary veins-left atrium-mitral (bicuspid) valve-left ventricle-aortic valve-aorta-heart and body |
conduction system | what makes heart contract rhythmically - electric impulses move from SA node in right atrium to AV node to bundle of His to Purkinje fibers |
arteries | large, thick-walled vessels that carry blood away from the heart |
arterioles | smaller, thin-walled arteries |
capillaries | minute blood vessels that allow for exchange of materials |
venules | smallest veins transport deoxygenated blood back to heart |
veins | transports blood from venules to heart |
systole | contraction - forcing blood out of the heart |
diastole | relaxation - allowing heart to refill with blood |
blood pressure (BP) | pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries - top number is systolic - bottom diastolic 120/80 |
sphygmomanometer | BP cuff |
anorexia | loss of appetite |
arthralgia | joint pain |
edema | collection of fluid within the body tissues causing swelling |
embolus | clot or part of a clot that has dislodged from another vessel and moved into a smaller vessel |
hypertension | high blood pressure |
hypotension | low blood pressure |
thrombosis | formation of a blood clot |
pallor | lack of color/paleness |
congestive heart failure | cardiac failure pumping ability of the heart is impaired so that it no longer meets bodily needs - weakness, breathlessness, abdominal discomfort, edema |
coronary artery disease | narrowing of the coronary arteries - results in inadequate blood supply to myocardium |
rheumatic fever | inflammatory disease that develops from insufficiently treated group A beta-hemolytic strep |
Raynaud's phenomenon | initiated by exposure to cold or stress - white (pallor), blue (cyanosis), red (return of color) |
atrial fibrillation | extremely rapid, incomplete contractions of atria - twitching |
ventricular fibrillation | rapid, tremulous contractions of ventricles (quivering like a bowl of gelatin) - no audible heartbeat, no palpable pulse, no respiration, no blood circulation - lead to cardiac arrest |
heart block (AV) | interference with electric impulses that control heart muscle |
event monitor | similar to Holter but can be used for a longer period of time |