Glossary of Cardiovascular Terms
Condensed from 1990 Heart and Stroke Facts, a publication of the American Heart Association
Aneurysm – A ballooning out of the wall of a vein, artery or the heart due to weakening of the wall by disease, traumatic injury or an abnormality present at birth.
Angina Pectoris – Medical term for chest pain. A temporary condition in which the heart muscle doesn’t receive enough blood (oxygen), resulting in pain in the chest.
Angioplasty – A procedure sometimes used to dilate (widen) narrowed arteries. A catheter with a deflated balloon on its tip is passed into the narrowed artery segment, the balloon is inflated and the narrowed segment widened. PTCA = Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty.
Aorta – The largest artery that receives blood from the hearts left ventricle and distributes it to the body.
Aortic Valve – The heart valve between the left ventricle and the aorta. It has three flaps, or cusps. AVR = Aortic Valve Replacement.
Arrhythmia (or Dysrhythmia) – An abnormal rhythm of the heart.
Arteriography – A testing procedure in which an X-ray opaque dye is injected into the blood stream and then pictures are taken and studied to see if the arteries are damaged. Also known as Cardiac Catherization
Arteriosclerosis – Commonly called hardening of the arteries, this includes a variety of conditions that cause artery walls to thicken and lose elasticity.
Artery – Any one of a series of blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the various parts of the body. Arteries have thick, elastic walls that can expand as blood flows through them.
Atherectomy – A catheter with a rotating blade that shaves off fatty deposits and forces them into a chamber which is removed when it is full.
Atherosclerosis – A form of arteriosclerosis in which the inner layers of artery walls become thick and irregular due to deposits of fat, cholesterol, and other substances. As the interior walls of arteries become lined with layers of these deposits, the arteries become narrowed, and the flow of blood through them is reduced. This buildup is some- times called “plaque ."
Atria – The two upper, receiving chambers of the heart.
Atrium – Either one of the two upper chambers of the heart in which blood collects before being passed to the ventricles.
Blood clot – A jelly-like mass of blood tissue formed by clotting factors in the blood. This clot can then stop the flow of blood from an injury. Blood clots can also form inside an artery whose walls are damaged by atherosclerotic buildup and can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Blood Pressure – The force or pressure exerted by the heart in pumping blood; the pressure of blood in the arteries.
Capillaries – Microscopically small blood vessels between arteries and veins that distribute oxygenated blood to the body’s tissues.
Cardiac – Pertaining to the heart.
Cardiology – The study of the heart and its functions in health and disease.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) – A combination of chest compression and mouth-to-mouth breathing. This technique is used during cardiac arrest to keep oxygenated blood flowing to the heart muscle and brain until advanced cardiac life support can be started.
Cardiovascular – Pertaining to the heart and blood vessels. (“Cardio” means heart “vascular” means blood vessels.) The circulatory system of the heart and blood vessels is the cardiovascular system.
Catherization (Heart) – The process of examining the heart by introducing a thin tube (catheter) into a vein or artery and passing it into the heart. Also known as angiography.
Cholesterol – A fat-like substance manufactured in the body and found in foods from animal sources such as whole milk dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, animal fats, and egg yokes.
Circulatory System – Pertaining to the heart, blood vessels, and the circulation of blood.
Collatoral Circulation – A system of smaller arteries closed under normal circumstances that may open up and start to carry blood to part of the heart when a coronary artery is blocked. They can serve as alternate routes of blood supply.
Congestive Heart Failure – The inability of the heart to pump out all the blood that returns to it. This results in blood backing up in the veins that lead to the heart and some- times in fluid accumulating in various parts of the body.
Coronary Arteries – Two arteries arising from the aorta that arch down over the top of the heart, branch and provide blood to the heart muscle.
Coronary Artery Disease – Conditions that causes narrowing of the coronary arteries so blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced.
Coronary Bypass Surgery – Surgery to improve blood supply to the heart muscle. This surgery is most often performed when narrowed coronary arteries reduce the flow of oxygen-containing blood to the heart itself. “CABG” = Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts.
Coronary Stent – Wire-mesh tubes deployed in a coronary artery to maintain patency after balloon angioplasty. Stents can be used with a primary atherosclerotic lesion or for restenosis after a previous angioplasty or bypass procedure.
Defibrillator – An electronic device that helps reestablish normal contraction rhythms in malfunctioning heart. AICD = Automatic Impeceutable Cardiac Defibrillator or ICD = Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator.
Diastolic Blood Pressure – The lowest blood pressure measured in the arteries, it occurs when the heart muscle is relaxed between beats. It is the lower of the two numbers of a blood pressure reading.
Digitalis (also Digoxin, Digitoxin) – A drug that strengthens the contractions of the heart muscle, slows the rate of contraction of the heart, and promotes the elimination of fluid from the body tissues. It’s of ten used in treating congestive heart failure and is also used to treat certain arrhythmias.
Diuretic – A drug that increases the heart rate at which urine forms by promoting the exertion of water and salts.
Echocardiography – A diagnostic method in which pulses of sound are transmitted into the body and the echoes returning from the surfaces of the heart and other structures are electronically plotted and recorded.
Edema – Swelling due to an abnormally large amount of fluid in body tissues.
EECP (Enhanced External Cardio Pulsation) – Is a nonsurgical, mechanical procedure that can reduce the symptoms of angina pectoris, presumable by increasing coronary blood flow in ischemic areas of the heart.
Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) – A graphic record of electrical impulses produced by the heart.
Heart Attack – Death of, or damage to part of the heart muscle due to an insufficient blood supply. Also MI = Myocardial Infarction.
Heart-Lung Machine – An apparatus that oxygenates and pumps blood while a person’s heart is opened for surgery.
Heart Hospital – A specialty hospital dedicated solely to the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) – A carrier of cholesterol believed to transport cholesterol away from the tissues and to the liver, where it is broken down and excreted.
Hypertension – Same as high blood pressure, a chronic increase in blood pressure above its normal range.
Ischemia – Decreased blood flow to an organ, usually due to constriction or obstruction of an artery.
Lipid – A fatty substance insoluble in blood.
Lipoprotein – The combination of lipid surrounded by a protein: the protein makes it soluble in blood.
Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) – The main carrier of harmful cholesterol in the blood.
Mitral Valve – The heart valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle. It has two flaps, or cusps. MVR = Mitral Valve Replacement.
Monounsaturated Fat – A type of fat found in many foods but predominantly in canola, olive and peanut oils, and avocados.
Myocardial infarction (Heart Attack) – The damaging or death of an area of the heart muscle (myocardium) resulting from a reduced blood supply to that area.
Myocardium – The muscular wall of the heart. If contracts to pump blood out of the heart and then relaxes as the heart refills with returning blood.
Nitroglycerin – A drug that causes dilation of blood vessels and is often used in treating angina periods.
Open Heart Surgery – Surgery performed on the opened heart while the bloodstream is diverted through a heart-lung machine.
Pacemaker – The “natural” pacemaker of the heart is called the sinoatrial node. It is a small mass of specialized cells in the top of the right atrium of the heart that produces the electrical impulses that travel down to eventually reach the ventricular muscle, causing the heart to contract. The term “artificial pacemaker” is applied to an electrical device that can substitute for a defective natural pacemaker or conduction pathway. The artificial pacemaker controls the heart’s beating by emitting a series of rhythmic electrical discharges.
Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) – See Angioplasty
Peripheral Vascular Disease – Peripheral vascular disease is a form of atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries, and is a progressive disease. It can result in blockages in arteries of the brain, arms, kidneys, and legs.
Plaque – Also called atheroma, this is a deposit of fatty (and other) substances in the inner lining of the artery wall characteristic of atherosclerosis.
Platelets – One of three kinds of formed elements found in blood and one that aids in the clotting of blood.
Polyunsaturated Fats – Liquid oils of vegetable origin such as corn, sunflower or soy- bean oils.
Pulmonary – Pertaining to the lungs.
Risk – A factor, element or course involving certain hazard or danger. When referring to the heart and blood vessels, a risk factor is associated with an increased chance of developing cardiovascular disease including smoke.
Saturated Fats – Types of fat found in foods of animal origin and a few of vegetable origin; they are typically solid at room temperature.
Stenosis – The narrowing or constriction of an opening, such as a blood vessel or heart valve.
Stent Grafts – Expandable tubes of metallic wire mesh that are nonsurgically placed in a blocked artery and expended to restore blood flow and hold the vessel open.
Stents – Small coil-shaped devices placed inside an artery to keep it open so more blood can get to the heart.
Stress – Bodily or mental tension within a person resulting from his or her response to physical, chemical or emotional factors. Stress can refer to physical exertion as well as mental anxiety.
Systolic Blood Pressure – The highest blood pressure measured in the arteries. It occurs when the heart contracts with each heartbeat. It is the higher of the two numbers of a blood pressure reading.
Teletrace – The purpose of Teletrace Clinic is a telephone follow-up system for persons who have had permanent pacemakers inserted. Problems with pacemaker function or the end of the generator life are the main concerns noted. The teletrace system can also be utilized for arrhythmic detection for the patient whose symptoms are experienced at rare or imfrequent intervals.
Thrombolytic Therapy – Treatment of a heart attack consisting of a drug that breaks up a blood clot. This treatment can be initiated only if the person obtains medical help within 4-6 hours after onset of discomfort.
Thrombus – A blood clot that forms inside a blood vessel or cavity of the heart.
TMR – Transmycocardial revascularization is a procedure designed to relieve severe angina or chest pain in patient’s who aren’t candidates for bypass surgery or angioplasty.
Triglyceride – A fat that comes from food or is made in the body from other energy sources such as carbohydrates.
Vascular – Pertaining to the blood vessels.
Vein – Any one of a series of blood vessels of the vascular system that carries blood from various parts of the body back to the heart.
Ventricle – One of the two lower chambers of the heart.
