Chapter 10 Terms

aorta

tort/o

arteriole

arteriol/o

artery

arteri/o

capillary

capillar/o

heart

carpi/o, coron/o

lung

pulmon/o

system

system/o

vein

ven/o, phleb/o

venule

venul/o

vessel

vascul/o, angi/o, vas/o

apex

apic/o

endocardium

endocardi/o

muscle

my/o

myocardium

myocardi/o

pericardium

pericardi/o

septum

sept/o

ventricle

ventricul/o

Bradycardia

Slow heartbeat, with ventricular contractions less than 60 bpm.

Bruit

Abnormal sound heard when auscultating an artery. Usually a slowing or swishing sound, higher pitched than a murmur.

Cardiac pain

Atypical pain is a stabbing or burning pain that is variable in location and intensity and unrelated to exertion. Ischemic pain is a pressing, squeezing, or weightlike pain caused by decreased blood supply and usually lasts only a minute.

Cardiomegaly

Enlargement if the heart

Cyanosis

Lack of oxygen in blood, seen as a bluish or grayish discoloration of skin, nail beds, and/or lips.

Diaphoresis

Profuse secretion of sweat.

Dyspnea; dyspnea on exertion (DOE)

Difficult and/or painful breathing; if DOE, it is experienced when effort is expended

Edema

Abnormal accumulation of fluid interstitial spaces of tissues

Emesis

Expelling the contents of the stomach through the esophagus and mouth; vomiting

Fatigue

Sense of exhaustion, regardless of adequacy of sleep.

Murmur

Abnormal heart sound heard during systole, diastole, or both, which may be described as a gentle blowing, fluttering, or humming sound.

Nausea

Sensation of the urge to vomit.

Pallor

Paleness of skin, and/or mucous membranes. On darker pigmented skin, it may be noted in the inner surfces of the lower eyelids or the nail beds.

Palpitations

Pounding or racing of the heart, such that the patient is aware of his/her heartbeat.

Pulmonary congestion

Excessive amount og blood in the pulmonary vessel. Usually associated with heart failure.

Shortness of Breath (SOB)

Breathless, air hunger.

Syncope

Fainting, loss of consciousness.

Tachycardia

Rapid heartbeat, more than 100 bpm.

Thrill

Fine vibration felt by the examiner of palpitation.

Venous distension

Enlarged or swollen veins.

Coarctation of the aorta

Congenital cardiac anomaly characterized by a localized narrowing of the aorta. Coartation is another term for a narrowing.

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)

Abnormal opening between the pulmonary artery and the aorta caused by failure of the fetal ductus arteriosus to close after birth, most often in premature infants. Patent means open

Septal defect

Any congenital abnormality of the walls between the heart chambers. Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the wall between the upper chambers of the heart. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is hole in the wall between the lower two chambers of the heart

Tetralogy of Fallot

Congenital cardiac anomaly that consists of four defects; pulmonic stenosis; ventricular septal defect; malposition of the aorta, so that it arises from the septal defect or the right ventricle; and right ventricular hypertrophy.

Aortic stenosis (AS)

Narrowing of the aortic valve, which may be acquired or congenital

Mitral regurgitation (MR)

Backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium in systole across a diseased valve. It may be the result of congenital valve abnormalities, rheumatic, fever, or mitral valve prolapse.

Mitral stenosis (MS)

Narrowing of the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle caused by adhesions on the leaflets of the valve, usually the result of recurrent episodes of rheumatic endocarditis. Left atrial hypertrophy develops and may be followed by right-sided heart failure and pulmonary edema

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)

Protrusion of one or both cusps of the mitral valve back into the left atrium during ventricular systole.

Orthopnea

Condition in which a person must sit or stand to breathe comfortably.

Tricuspid stenosis (TS)

Relatively uncommon narrowing of the tricuspid valve associated with lesions of other valves caused by rheumatic fever. Symptoms include jugular vein distention and pulmonary congestion.

Valvulitis

Inflammatory condition of a valve, especially a cardiac valve, caused most commonly by rheumatic fever and less frequently by bacterial endocarditis or syphilis. Results are stenoses and obstructed blood flow.

Arrhythmia

Abnormal variation from the normal heartbeat rhythm. Also called dysrhythmia.

Block, Atrioventricular

Partial or complete heart block that is the result of a lack of electrical communication between the atria and the ventricles. Also termed "heart block.

Bundle branch block (BBB)

Incomplete electrical conduction in the bundle branches, either left or right.

Ectopic beats

Heartbeats that occur outside of a normal rhythm.

Atrial

Atrial ectopic beats (AEB) are irregular contractions of the atria. Also termed premature atrial contractions (PAC)

Ventriuclar

ventricular ectopic beats (VEB) are irregular contractions of the ventricles. Also called premature ventricular contractions (PVC). Are not always considered pathologic.

Flutter

Extremely rapid but regular heartbeat (250-350)

Atrial

Atrial flutter is a rapid, regular atrial rrythm

Sick sinus syndrome (SSS)

Any abnormalities of the sinus node, which may include the necessity of an implantable pacemaker.

Tachycardia

Condition of a rapid heart rate.

Ventricular

Ventricular contraction > 100 bpm.

Angina pectoris

Paroxysmal chest pain that is often accompanied by shortness of breath and a sensation of impending doom

Myocardial infarction (MI)

Cardiac tissue death that occurs when the coronary arteries are occluded (blocked) by an atheroma, a mess of fat or lipids on the wall of an artery, or a blood clot caused by an atheroma, and are thus unable to carry enough oxygenated, the patient may die if enough of the heart muscle is destroyed.

Cardiac tamponade

Compression of the heart caused fluid in the pericardial sec.

Cardiomyopathy

Progressive disorder of the ventricles of the heart.

Endocarditis

Inflammation of the endocardium and heart valves, characterized by lesions and caused by a number of different microbes.

Heart Failure

Inability of the heart muscle to pump blood efficiently, so that it becomes overloaded. The heart enlarges with unpumped blood, and the lungs fill with fluid. Previously referred to as congestive heart failure.

Pericarditis

Inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart, with the possibility of pericardial effusion.

Arteriosclerosis

Disease in which the arterial walls become the thickened and lost their elasticity, without the presence of atheromas

Atherosclerosis

For of arteriosclerosis in which medium and large arteries have atheromas arteries, which can reduce or obstruct blood flow. Patients with peripheral atherosclerosis complain of intermittent claudication.

Aneurysm

Localizes dilation of an artery caused by a congenital or acquired weakness in the wall of the vessel. The acquired causes may be arteriosclerosis, trauma, infection, and/or inflammation.

Claudication

Cramplike pains in the calves caused by poor circulation in the leg muscles

Esophageal varices

Varicose veins that appear at the lower end of the esophagus as a result hypertension; they are superficial and may cause ulceration and bleeding

Hemorrhoid

Varicose condition of the external or internal rectal veins that causes painful swellings at the anus.

Hypertension

Condition of high or elevated blood pressure, also known as arterial hypertension; occurs in two forms-primary (or essential) hypertension, which has no identifiable cause; and secondary hypertension, which occurs in response to another disorder.

Peripheral arterial occlusion

Blockage of bloof flow to the extremities. Acute or chronic conditions may be present, but patients with both types of conditions are likely to have underlying atherosclerosis.

Peripheral vascular disorder

Any vascular disorder limited to the extremities; may affect not on the arteries and veins but also the lymphatics.

Raynaud disease

Idiopathic disease- that is, of unknown cause- of the peripheral vascular system that causes intermittent cyanosis/erythema of the distal ends of the fingers and toes, sometimes accompanies by numbness; occurs almost exclusively in young women. Presentation is bilateral. Raynaud phenomenon is secondary to rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, or trauma.

Thrombophlebitis

Inflammation of either deep veins (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) or superficial veins, with the formation of one or more blood clots.

Varicose veins

Elongated, dilated superficial veins with incompetent valves that permit reverse blood flow. These veins may appear in various parts of the anatomy, but the term varicose veins has been reserved for those in the lower extremities.

Atrial myxoma

Benign growth usually occurring on the interatrial septum.

Hemangioma

Noncancerous tumor of the blood vessels. May be congenital ("stork bite") or may develop later in life.

Cardiac myxosarcoma

Rare cancer of the hear usually originating in the left atrium

Hemangiomasarcoma

Rare cancer of the cells that line the blood vessels

Echocardiography

Use of ultrasonic waves directed through the heart ot study the structure and motion of the heart. Transesophageal echocardiography images the heart through a transducer introduces into the esophagus.

Exercise stress test (EST)

Imaging of the heart during exercise on a treadmill, with the use of radioactive thallium or technetium (Tc 99m) sestamibi

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Computerized imaging that uses radiofrequency pulses in a magnetic field to detect areas of myocardial infarction, stenoses, and areas of blood flow.

Myocardial perfusion imaging

Use radionuclide to diagnose CAD, valvular or congenital heart disease, and cardiomyopathy.

Positron emission tomopgraphy (PET)

Computerized nuclear medicine procedure that uses inhaled or injected radioactive substances to help identify how much a patient will benefit from revascularization procedures.

Radiography

Posteroanterior and lateral chest x-rays may be used to evaluate the size and shape of the heart

Angiocardiography

Injection of a radiopaque substance during cardiac catheterization for the purpose of imaging the heart and related structure

Cardiac catheterization

Threading of a catheter (thin tube) into the heart to collect diagnostic information about structures in the heart, coronary arteries, and great vessels; also use to aid in treatment of CAD, congenital abnormalities, and heart failure.

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA)

Digital imaging process wherein contrast images are used to "subtract" the non contrast image of surrounding structures, leaving only a clear image of blood vessels

Electrocardiography

Process of graphing the electrical activity of the heart muscle

Holter monitor

Portable electrocardiograph that is worn to record the reaction of the reaction of the heart to daily activities.

Swan-Ganz catheter

Long, think cardiac catheter with a tiny balloon at the tip that is fed into the fermoral artery near the groin and extended up to the left ventricle. This instrument is then used to determine left ventricular function by measuring pulmonary capillary wedge pressure.

Cardiac enzymes test

Blood test that measures the amount cardiac enzymes characteristically released during a myocardial infarction; determines the amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) in the blood

Lipid profile

Blood test to measure the lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) in the circulating blood.

Atherectomy

Removal of plaque from the coronary artery (or other arteries) through a catheter with a rotating shaver or a laser. If a laser is used, the procedure is termed laser angioplasty, and the plaque is vaporized by pulsating beams of light through a catheter introduced into the coronary artery to the site of blockage. May be used alone or with balloon angioplasty.

Cardiac defibrillator

Either external or implantable device that provides an electronic shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm

Cardiac pacemaker

Small, battery-operated device that helps the heart beat in a regular rhythm; can be either internal (permanent) or external (temporary).

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Manual external cardiac massage and artificial respiration used to restart the heartbeat and breathing of a patient.

Commissurotomy

Surgical division of a fibrous band or ring connecting corresponding parts of a body structure. Commonly performed to separate the thickened, adherent leaves of a stenoses mitral valve.

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)

Open-heart surgery in which a peice of a blood vessel from another location is grafted onto one of the coronary arteries to reroute blood around a blockage.

Extracorporeal circulation (ECC)

Use of a cardiopulmonary machine to do the work of the heart during open-heart procedures

Heart transplantation

Removal of a diseased heart and transplantation of a donor heart when cardiac disease can no longer be treated by any other means

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD)

Mechanical pump device that assists a patient's weakened heart by pulling blood from the left ventricle into the pump and then ejecting it out into the aorta. LVADs may be used on those patients awaiting a transplant

Minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB)

Surgical procedure in which the heart is still beating while minimal incision is fame over the blocked coronary artery and an artery from the chest wall is used as the bypass

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)

Surgical procedure in which a catheter is threaded into the coronary artery affected by atherosclerotic heart disease. The balloon at the tip of the catheter is inflated and deflated to compress the plaque against the wall of the artery and increase blood flow. Stents, wire mess tubes, are placed in the arteries and used to prop them open after the angioplasty

Pericardiocentesis

Aspiration of fluid from the pericardium to treat cardiac tamponade

Port-access coronary artery bypass (PACAB)

Procedure in which the heart is stopped and surgery is accomplished through small incisions in the chest.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation

Destruction of abnormal cardiac electrical pathways causing arrhythmias.

Transmyocardial revascularization (TMR)

Procedure used to relieve sever angina in a patient who cannot tolerate a CABD or PTCA. With a laser, series of holes is made in the heart tissue in the hope of increasing blood flow by stimulating new blood vessels to grow (angiogenesis)

Valvuloplasty

Repair of stenosed heart valve with the use of a balloon-tipped catheter

Hemorrhoidectomy

Excision of hemorrhoids

Ligation and stripping

Tying (ligating) of c=varicose veins and their removal in severe cases.

Sclerotherapy

Injection of chemical solution into varicosities to cause inflammation, resulting in an obliteration of the lining of the vein; blood flow is then rerouted through adjoining vessels.