Cardiac Terms - ZOLL ATM Flashcards
Heart Disease Terms for ATM Training
Ablation
The removal or destruction of tissue. A disruption of an electric pathway in the heart
Ambulatory Monitors
Small portable electrocardiograph machines that are able
to record the heart’s rhythm.
Each type of monitor has unique features related to length of recording time and ability to send the recordings over the phone.
Types of ambulatory monitors include: Holter Monitor, Loop Recorder, Event Monitor, and Trans Telephonic transmitter
Aneurysm
A sac formed by the bulging of a blood vessel wall or heart tissue.
When aneurysms grow too large, they can rupture, and the bleeding can be life threatening.
Aneurysms that have grown too large should be removed.
Angina
Also called angina pectoris.
Discomfort or pressure, usually in the chest, caused by a temporarily inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle, usually due to atherosclerosis, or blockages in the arteries.
Discomfort may also be felt in the neck, jaw, or arms
Angiogenesis
The spontaneous or drug-induced growth of new blood vessels.
The growth of these vessels may help to alleviate coronary artery disease by rerouting blood flow around clogged arteries.
Angioplasty
An invasive procedure, during which a specially designed balloon catheter with a small balloon tip is guided to the point of narrowing in the artery.
Once in place, the balloon is inflated to compress the fatty matter and plaque into the artery wall and stretch the artery open to increase blood flow to the heart.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)
A group of drugs used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure.
ACE inhibitors block a specific enzyme (ACE or angiotensin-converting enzyme) that retains salt in the kidney and can cause heart and blood pressure problems.
ACE inhibitors have been shown to decrease the risk of dying from a heart attack and to improve heart function.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
A group of drugs used to treat high blood
pressure.
Antiarrhythmic
A drug that is used to treat abnormal heart rhythms
Anticoagulant
A medication that prevents blood from clotting; used for people at risk for atrial fibrillation, stroke, or blood clots.
“blood thinner”
Antihypertensive
A medication used to treat high blood pressure.
Aorta
Large artery leaving the heart.
All blood pumped out of the left ventricle travels through the aorta on its way to other parts of the body
Aortic Valve
The aortic valve is the last valve through which the blood passes before it enters the aorta or main blood vessel of the body.
The valve’s role is to prevent blood from leaking back into the left ventricle from the aorta after it has been ejected from the heart
Aortic Valve Replacement
When the aortic valve is diseased, it can become
either stenotic (too narrow) or insufficient (leaky).
In such cases, the aortic valve may need to be replaced with either a prosthetic or human valve.
There are other types of valves used such as from a pig or cow; the type of valve replacement
depends on the person’s case
Aortic Valve Repair
The aortic valve is the last valve in the heart through which the blood travels prior to circulating in the body.
When this valve is leaking or too tight,
a surgeon may be able to repair the valve rather than replace it.
Arrhythmia
An irregular heartbeat.
Arterial Grafting
In patients who require coronary artery bypass graft surgery, it is sometimes desirable to use arteries from other parts of the body to provide the bypass grafts.
This is known as arterial grafting. The alternative is to use vein grafts for coronary bypass surgery
Arteries
Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart
Asystole
A life-threatening heart rhythm characterized by an absence of electrical activity.
Because there is no electrical activity, there is no heartbeat.
The treatment for Asystole is cardiac resuscitation
Atherosclerosis
“hardening of the arteries”
The process whereby abnormal deposits of lipids, cholesterol, inflammatory cells, and plaque buildup lead to coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular problems.
Atria
The upper chambers of the heart.
(Atrium refers to one chamber of the
heart)
Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm in which many impulses begin and spread through the atria.
The resulting rhythm is disorganized,
rapid, and irregular, and the atria are not able to fully empty their contents into the
ventricles, which increases the risk for blood clotting.
Atrial Flutter
Atrial flutter is a regular heart rhythm in which many impulses begin and spread through the atria.
The resulting rhythm is organized, but so rapid that the atria are not able to fully empty their contents into the ventricles
Atrial Septal Defect
An abnormal hole located in the walls between the two atria of the heart.
Tiny defects called patent foramen ovale are present in up to 30% of people and are of no consequence except in unusual circumstances; but may be implicated in strokes.
Moderate size to larger size defects should be corrected and may require heart surgery
Atrioventricular (AV) Node
A group of special cells located near the center of the heart that helps to regulate the heart rhythm.
Here, the electrical current slows for a
moment before going on to the ventricles
Atrium
The top chamber of the heart.
There are two atria – the left and the right,
divided by a muscular wall, called the septum.
The atrium contracts before the ventricle to allow optimal filling of the ventricle
Balloon Angioplasty (Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty or PTCA)
A procedure used to clean out clogged heart arteries.
A specially designed balloon catheter with a small balloon tip is guided to the point of narrowing in the artery.
Once in place, the balloon is inflated to compress the fatty matter and plaque into the artery wall and stretch the artery open to increase blood flow to the heart
Beta-Blocker
A drug that slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure, controls angina, helps regulate arrhythmias, and protects patients with prior heart attacks from future heart attacks.
It increases the time that the heart can fill with blood, and therefore decreases the amount of work the heart needs to do
Bradycardia
A slow heart rate.
Bundle Branch
Part of the electrical pathway of the heart that delivers electrical impulses to the ventricles of the heart.
The bundle divides or branches into a right
bundle and the left bundle.
The bundles take the impulse through the ventricles (bottom chambers) to cause them to contract
Bundle Branch Block
Normally, the electrical impulse travels down both the right and left bundle branches at the same speed and the ventricles contract at the
same time.
If there is a block in one of the branches, it’s called a bundle branch block.
A bundle branch block causes one ventricle to contract just after the other ventricle and may be a sign of heart damage
Calcium-Channel Blocker
A drug that reduces spasm of the blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and controls angina
Acts by selectively blocking the uptake of
calcium by the cells
Capillaries
Tiny blood vessels connecting arteries to veins.
These blood vessels carry oxygen and nutrients to individual cells throughout the body.
Cardiac Arrest
When the heart stops beating suddenly, and respiration (breathing) and other body functions stop as a result
Cardiac Bypass
Also known as open heart surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) is a surgical procedure that restores normal blood flow to the heart by creating a “detour” (bypass) around the blocked artery/arteries
Cardiac Catheterization
A heart procedure used to diagnose heart disease.
During the procedure, a catheter (inserted into an artery in your arm or leg) is guided to your heart, contrast dye is injected, and X-rays of the coronary arteries, heart chambers, and valves are taken.
It’s main function is to look for blockages in
the arteries.
This procedure also measures the pressures in the heart chambers to help diagnose the causes of heart failure and to see the significance of valve problems
Cardiac Output
The amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
A structured program of education, nutrition, exercise, and activity guided toward lifestyle modification, increasing functional capabilities, and peer support.
Cardiac Remodeling
Refers to changes in the heart’s size and shape that occur in response to cardiac disease or cardiac damage.
Cardiac Reverse Remodeling
Left Ventricle Reverse Remodeling (LVRR) refers to an improvement in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) and a reduction in left
ventricular dimension
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)
Involves surgically implanting a batteryoperated device under the skin.
Bi ventricular pacemaker is to synchronize heart
bats to a normal, healthy pace through electrical stimulation
Cardiomyopathy
An abnormal heart condition in which the heart is dilated (poor pumping power and enlarged), restrictive (impaired ability of the heart to fill), or
hypertrophic (a thickened heart).
Cardioversion
A procedure used to convert an irregular heart rhythm to a normal heart rhythm by applying electric shock or using certain medications.
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR)
Sometimes known as cardiac MRI
Is a medical imaging technology for the non-invasive assessment of the function and structure of the cardiovascular system
Collateral Blood Vessels
Small capillary-like branches of an artery that form over time in response to narrowed coronary arteries.
The collaterals “bypass” the area of
narrowing and help to restore blood flow.
However, during times of increased
exertion, the collaterals may not be able to supply enough oxygen-rich blood to
the heart muscle
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF or heart failure)
A condition where the heart muscle weakens and can’t pump blood efficiently throughout the body.
This is called systolic heart failure.
Another type of congestive heart failure is due to lack of relaxation of the heart muscle causing fluid to be forced into the lungs, abdomen,
and legs.
This type is called diastolic heart failure.
Coronary Arteries
Network of blood vessels that branch off the aorta to supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood.
There are two main coronary arteries: the
right and the left.
The left splits into two arteries called the circumflex and the left anterior descending (LAD) arteries, thus, the heart is often considered to have three major coronary arteries.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
To improve blood flow to the heart, bypasses are created around the obstructions in the coronary arteries with arteries or veins from elsewhere in the body
Coronary Artery Disease (atherosclerosis)
A build-up of fatty material in the wall of
the coronary artery that causes narrowing of the artery
Cryoablation
A minimally invasive procedure in which the EP doctor uses a thin flexible tube, known as a balloon catheter, to locate and freeze this heart
tissue.
Cryoablation is an appropriate treatment for atrial fibrillation when medications and other AF treatments do not restore the heart to a normal rhythm.
Diastolic Blood Pressure
The pressure of the blood in the arteries when the heart is filling.
It is the lower of two blood pressure measurements (for example, 120/80, where 80 is the diastolic pressure)
Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
A disease of the myocardium (heart muscle) that
causes the heart cavity to become stretched and enlarged and the pumping capacity of the heart to be reduced
Dipyridamole Stress Test
If you are unable to exercise on a treadmill or stationary bicycle for a stress test, a medication, called dipyridamole (Persantine) can be used instead of exercise to dilate the arteries in order to assess the heart’s blood flow and look for areas of blockages.
Other drugs that are also utilized in stress tests
now are adenosine (Adenocard) and Lexiscan
Diuretic
A drug that enables the kidneys to rid the body of excess fluid.
It may be referred to as a “water pill.”
Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram (Dobutamine echo)
A procedure that involves infusing a medication (dobutamine) through an intravenous (IV) line while you are closely monitored.
This drug stimulates your heart, allowing evaluation of heart and valve function at rest and with exertion, when you are unable to exercise on a treadmill or stationary cycle
Dyspnea
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
Dysrhythmia
a problem with the rate or rhythm of heartbeat caused by changes in the heart’s normal sequence of electrical impulses
Echocardiogram (echo)
An imaging procedure that creates a moving picture outline of the heart’s valves and chambers using high-frequency sound waves that come from a handheld wand placed on your chest or passed down your throat.
Echo is often combined with Doppler ultrasound and color Doppler to evaluate blood flow across the heart’s valves.
Doppler senses the speed of sound and can
pick up abnormal leakage or restriction of the valves.
ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation)
In people who are unable to
provide oxygen for their own blood or enough blood circulation, they can be put
on life support known as extra corporeal membrane oxygenation.
The blood is withdrawn from a large vein in the body and passes through a pumping mechanism, and then through a device that puts oxygen into the blood and removes carbon dioxide from the blood.
The blood is then returned to the body and circulated in such a way as to sustain life
Ectopy
The term “Ectopic” means something that is in an odd place or position.
In the case of an ectopic beat, it is something that is out of normal cardiac cycle sequence.
The condition may be referred to as an early, missed, or extra heartbeat.
It happens because something is wrong with the heart’s electrical system.
A spontaneous ventricular arrhythmia appearing abruptly, may be referred to as ectopy
Edema
Swelling
The accumulation of fluids, usually in the hands, feet, legs, or abdomen.
Ejection Fraction (EF)
The amount of blood pumped out of a ventricle during each heartbeat.
The ejection fraction evaluates how well the heart is pumping.
Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)
The EKG records on graph paper the electrical
activity of the heart using small electrode patches attached to the skin
Electrophysiology (EP) Study
An EP study is a test that evaluates the electrical
activity within your heart.
This test is used to help your doctor find out the cause of your rhythm disturbance and the best treatment for you.
During the test, your doctor may safely reproduce your abnormal heart rhythm, then give you medications to see which one controls it best
Embolus
A blood clot that moves through the blood stream.
Endocarditis
An infection of the inner lining of the heart or its valves.
It is usually caused by bacteria and is more likely to occur in people who have heart valve
defects or have had heart surgery to treat valve disease.
Endomyocardial Biopsy (EMB)
is a procedure that percutaneously obtains small
amounts of myocardial tissue for diagnostic, therapeutic, and research purposes.
Event Monitor (Loop recorder)
A small recorder (monitor) is attached to electrodes on your chest.
It is worn continuously for a period of time. If symptoms are felt, an event button can be depressed, and the heart’s rhythm is recorded and saved in the recorder.
The rhythm can be saved and transmitted over the phone line
Exercise Stress Test
A test used to provide information about how the heart responds to stress.
It usually involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike at increasing levels of difficulty, while the electrocardiogram, heart rate, and blood pressure are monitored.
If you are not able to do activity, medications may be used to “stress” the heart
Exercise Stress Echocardiogram (Stress Echo)
A procedure that combines echocardiography with exercise to evaluate the heart’s function at rest and with exertion.
It can evaluate the heart muscle to determine if it is receiving enough oxygen, as well as evaluate the function of the valves.
Echocardiography is an imaging procedure that creates a picture of the heart’s movement, valves, and chambers using high-frequency sound waves that come from a hand held wand
placed on your chest.
Echo is often combined with Doppler ultrasound and color Doppler to evaluate blood flow across the heart’s valves
Femoral Artery
The femoral artery is one of the major arteries in the human body.
It extends from the iliac artery near the abdomen down to the legs.
The primary function of this artery is to supply blood to the lower section of the body
Fibrillation
Abnormally rapid, inefficient contractions of the atria or ventricles.
Ventricular fibrillation is life-threatening
Flutter
One form of rapid heartbeat.
Free Mammary Artery Graft
When the surgeon removes the mammary artery from its origin to use as a heart bypass graft
Heart Attack
Also called a Myocardial infarction
A lack of blood supply to the heart caused by
a blood clot in the coronary artery.
This results in permanent damage to the heart
muscle and the severity of damage varies from normal, mild, to severe.
Heart Block
Also called an arrhythmia, the electrical current is slowed between the atria and ventricles.
In more severe cases, conduction is blocked completely and the atria and ventricles beat independently.
This is when a pacemaker would be suggested
Heart Failure (congestive heart failure, CHF)
A progressive condition where the
heart muscle weakens and cannot pump blood efficiently.
Fluid accumulates in the lungs, hands, ankles, or other parts of the body and is often associated with shortness of breath.
Heart Lung Bypass Machine
A machine that oxygenates the blood and circulates it throughout the body during surgery.
Heart Valves
There are four valves in the heart: the tricuspid and the mitral valve, which lie between the atria and ventricles, and the pulmonic and aortic valves, which lie between the ventricles and the blood vessels leaving the heart.
The heart valves help to maintain one-way blood flow through the heart
Hibernating Myocardium
After a heart attack, some areas of heart muscle do not pump as they should.
Some areas will have permanent damage. Other areas are able to return to their normal function if blood flow is returned to that area by
medications or a procedure.
Hibernating myocardium is heart muscle that is
‘‘stunned or in shock” and may possibly return to normal function
Holter Monitor
A small recorder (monitor) is attached to electrodes on your chest.
It records the heart’s rhythm continuously for 24-hours as you go about your normal
activities.
After the monitor is removed the heart’s beats are counted and analyzed by a technician with the aid of a computer.
Your doctor can learn if you are having irregular heartbeats, what kind they are, how long they last, as well as what may cause them
Hypertrophy
An abnormal enlargement of an organ or thickening of its tissue.
Ventricular hypertrophy is the name given to a thickened ventricle.
Hypertension
High blood pressure
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
A disease in which the heart muscle
becomes abnormally thick (hypertrophied).
The thickened heart muscle can make
it harder for the heart to pump blood
Hypotension
Low blood pressure.
Idiopathic
When the cause of a disease or process is not known
IHSS - Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis
Another term used synonymously
with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).
It is an inherited disease that causes thickening of the heart muscle and other changes to the heart that significantly impair its function.
Although the disease is rare, IHSS is the single most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in seemingly healthy young people.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
A surgically inserted electronic device
that constantly monitors your heart rate and rhythm.
When it detects a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm, it delivers electrical energy to the heart muscle to help the heart to beat in a normal rhythm again.
Infarction
Tissue death due to lack of oxygen-rich blood.
Inotrope Medication
A medication used to strengthen the heart’s contractions and improve blood circulation
Intra-aortic Balloon Pump Assist Device (IABP)
A machine that can help the
pumping function of the heart.
It is usually inserted through an artery in the groin area and threaded backwards into the descending thoracic aorta in the chest.
In this location, the balloon inflates and deflates in synchrony with the heart in order
to aid the blood pumping function of the heart in people whose heart has been
damaged, most often due to a heart attack
Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS)
An invasive procedure, performed along
with cardiac catheterization.
A miniature sound probe (transducer) on the tip of a catheter is threaded through the coronary arteries and, using high-frequency sound waves, produces detailed images of the interior walls of the arteries.
Ischemia
Condition in which there is not enough oxygen-rich blood supplied to the heart muscle to meet the heart’s needs.
Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE)
Is a technique used in cardiac magnetic
resonance imaging for cardiac tissue characterization, in particular, the assessment
of regional scar formation and myocardial fibrosis
Lead Extraction
A lead is a special wire that delivers energy from a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to the heart muscle.
A lead extraction is the removal of one or more leads from inside the heart.
Leaflets
Thin pieces of tissue or flaps that make up a valve
Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
A mechanical device placed in people with
end-stage heart disease whose hearts do not pump a sufficient amount of blood
to keep the body healthy (heart failure).
The device aids in the pumping function
of the blood.
Oftentimes, this is used as a step before heart transplant
Loop Recorder (Event monitor)
A small recorder (monitor) is attached to electrodes
on your chest.
It is worn continuously for a period of time. If symptoms are felt, an event button can be depressed, and the heart’s rhythm is recorded and saved in the recorder.
The rhythm can be saved and transmitted over the phone line
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A test that produces high-quality still and
moving pictures of the heart and large blood vessels.
MRI uses large magnets and radio-frequency waves to produce pictures of the body’s internal structures.
No X-ray exposure is involved.
MRI acquires information about the heart as it is beating, creating moving images of the heart throughout its pumping cycle
Mammary Artery
Also called thoracic artery
Artery located in the chest wall and used for coronary artery bypass surgery.
Most commonly kept intact at its origin,
and sewn to the coronary artery beyond the site of blockage.
If the surgeon removes the mammary artery from its origin to use as a bypass graft, it is then
called a “free” mammary artery bypass graft
Maze Procedure
A surgical treatment for chronic atrial fibrillation.
The surgeon makes multiple incisions in the atrium to form a path or maze through which the
impulse can travel to reach the atrioventricular node.
After this is done, the atrium is
sewn back together and a normal rhythm is more easily maintained
Mechanical Valve
In people who require heart valve replacement surgery, it is sometimes desirable to implant a mechanical valve.
A mechanical valve is made of artificial parts and functions similarly to a normal heart valve.
People who have a mechanical valve implanted must take blood thinners lifelong to prevent blood clots from forming on the mechanical valve.
Metabolic Exercise Stress Test (also called metabolic stress test)
A test used to measure the performance of the heart and lungs while they are under physical
stress.
The test involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike at increasing levels of difficulty, while being closely monitored
Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery
Minimally invasive heart surgery is a technique
developed to reduce the trauma associated with open heart surgery.
The smaller incision that is used may allow the patient to heal more rapidly.
It also helps to reduce the pain and discomfort associated with heart surgery.
Mitral Insufficiency (mitral regurgitation)
A condition where blood in the left
ventricle leaks back through the mitral valve into the left atrium and can back up
into the lungs.
The mitral valve normally opens to allow blood to flow into the left ventricle and then closes, preventing blood from backing up into the atrium during the ventricle’s contraction.
This may be associated with mitral valve prolapse or can develop due to other forms of heart disease
Mitral Stenosis
A condition where the mitral valve becomes narrowed (stenotic), preventing the easy flow of blood from the left atrium into the left ventricle.
Mitral Valve
The valve that lies between the left atrium and left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart).
This valve allows blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle and then prevents the back flow of blood into the left atrium during ventricular contraction.
Morbidity Rate
The percentage of people who have complications from a medical condition or after a procedure or treatment.
Mortality Rate
The percentage of deaths associated with a disease or medical treatment.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
The Heart Institute’s two state-of-the-art MRI
units provide high-resolution images which allow cardiologists to distinguish normal
from abnormal heart muscle, and to assess cardiac structure and function in
patients with acquired and congenital heart disease
Multigated Acquisition Scan (MUGA scan)
A nuclear scan that evaluates the
pumping function of the ventricles by determining the heart’s ejection fraction.
Murmur
Turbulent blood flow across a heart valve that creates a “swishing” sound heard by a stethoscope.
This sound can be due to a valve being too tight, leaky or occur from a congenital abnormality to the heart, such as a hole or stricture
Myocardial Infarction
A lack of blood supply to the heart caused by a blood clot in the coronary artery.
This results in permanent damage to the heart muscle and the severity of damage varies from normal, mild, to severe.
Also known as a heart attack
Myocardial Scar
After a myocardial infarction, the dead myocytes are gradually replaced by scar tissue.
Scar is the major substrate for ventricular arrhythmias
Myocarditis
Inflammation of the myocardium (heart muscle). May feel like a heart attack and appear to be one, until further testing is done
Myocardium
Heart muscle
Myomectomy
A surgical procedure to remove abnormally thickened heart muscle.
Myomectomy is used to treat people with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS) or HOCM, thereby relieving the obstruction to blood flow in the left ventricle during contraction.
Nitroglycerin
A medication used to relax and dilate the blood vessels (vasodilator), improving blood flow.
Nitroglycerin works very quickly and is the most common vasodilator used to treat angina.
Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy (NICM)
is defined as disease of the myocardium associated with mechanical or electrical dysfunction exhibiting inappropriate
ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation.
The causes are numerous, but an increasing
number of nonischemic disorders are being recognized as genetic in cause
Non-Q-Wave MI (NSTEMI or non-ST-elevation MI)
A heart attack that does not cause changes known as “Q-waves” on the electrocardiogram (ECG).
However, other changes on the ECG are often seen.
In addition, chemical markers in the blood indicate that damage has occurred to the heart muscle.
In non-Q-wave MI, a clot may block the coronary artery for a period of time, and then break up by itself or collateral circulation may help to restore blood flow.
The size of damage is fairly small; therefore, overall function of the heart is usually maintained, unless there have been multiple events.
This is the most common type of heart attack in
women
Non-sustained VT (NSVT)
Episodes of VT that last at least 6 beats but < 30 seconds
Nuclear Scan
Nuclear imaging is a method of producing images by detecting radiation from different parts of the body after the administration of a radioactive tracer material
Pacemaker
A small electronic device is implanted under the skin and sends electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate and to prevent slow heart rates
Off Pump Heart Surgery
Heart surgery done without the use of the
cardiopulmonary bypass machine.
Palpitation
A fluttering sensation in the chest that is often related to a missed heart beat or rapid heartbeat
Patency Rate
The likelihood that a vessel will remain open.
Pericardium
The sac that surrounds the heart.
Pericarditis
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium, the sac around the heart
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)
Also called percutaneous coronary intervention and Angioplasty
Is a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries.
Angioplasty uses a tiny balloon catheter that is inserted in a blocked blood vessel to help widen it and improve blood flow to your heart.
Angioplasty is often combined with the placement of a small wire mesh tube called a stent.
The stent helps prop the artery open, decreasing its chance of narrowing again.
Plaque
Deposits of fats, inflammatory cells, proteins, and calcium material along the lining of arteries seen in atherosclerosis.
The plaque builds up and narrows the artery
Positron Emission Tomography (PET or cardiac viability study)
An imaging procedure that uses radioactive tracers to create 3-dimensional pictures of the tissues inside of the body and can monitor metabolic processes.
Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs)
An irregular heartbeat in which the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) beat before they are supposed to.
Pulmonary Edema
An abnormal swelling of tissue in the lungs due to fluid build-up
Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure of the pulmonary arteries.
Pulmonic Valve
The last valve through which the blood passes before it enters the pulmonary artery that lies between the right atrium and goes from the right ventricle to the lungs.
Pulse Rate
The number of heartbeats per minute. The resting pulse rate for an average adult is between 50 and 90 beats per minute
Q-wave MI (STEMI or ST-elevation MI)
A heart attack that is caused by a prolonged period of blocked blood supply.
An area of the heart muscle is affected, causing changes known as “Q-waves” on the ECG and chemical markers in the blood, usually implying that the full thickness of the heart muscle was affected in the heart attack, causing that part of the muscle to die
Radial Artery
The radial artery is a blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood in the forearm.
You can feel the pulse of the radial artery by feeling the inside of the wrist underneath the base of the thumb
Radionuclide Study (MUGA): See MUGA above
A nuclear scan that evaluates the pumping function of the ventricles by determining the heart’s ejection fraction
Regurgitation
Leaking or backward flow
Restenosis
The closing or narrowing of an artery that was previously opened by a procedure such as angioplasty or a stent
Saphenous Vein
Vein located in the leg(s) and used for coronary artery bypass surgery.
It is surgically removed from the leg and sewn from the aorta to the coronary artery beyond the site of blockage
Silent Ischemia
Inadequate supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart that does not cause symptoms such as chest pain, or is ignored or dismissed without being diagnosed as atherosclerosis or a decrease in oxygen delivery to the heart muscle.
Septum
The muscular wall separating the right and left sides of the heart.
Sestamibi Exercise Stress Test (Sestamibi stress test, stress perfusion scan, stress
Sestamibi)
A diagnostic study, which uses a small amount of radioactive tracer, injected into the body, and a special camera, which detects the radiation, to produce a computer image of the heart.
Combined with exercise, the study can help determine if there is adequate blood flow to the heart at rest, as compared
with activity
Sinoatrial Node (SA or sinus node)
A specialized cluster of cells in the heart that
initiates the heartbeat.
Known as the heart’s natural pacemaker
Sinus Rhythm
The normal rhythm of the heart
SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)
Housed in the Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory, this unit provides physicians with vital information on cardiac blood flow while the patient is at rest or engaged in physical activity
Sphygmomanometer
A device for measuring blood pressure.
Sternum (breastbone)
Bone in chest separated during open heart surgery
Stenosis
Narrowing or restriction of a blood vessel or valve that reduces blood flow
Stent
A small tube, inserted after angioplasty, that acts as a scaffold to provide support inside the coronary artery.
The goal is to keep the artery open.
Usually made of stainless-steel mesh, they can also be made of a dissolvable material for
those who don’t need a permanent stent.
Stress Test
A test used to provide information about how the heart
responds to stress.
It usually involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike at increasing levels of difficulty, while the electrocardiogram, heart rate, and blood pressure are monitored.
If you are not able to do activity, medications may
be used to “stress” the heart
Stroke
A sudden loss of brain function due to decreased blood flow to an area of the brain.
Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis
A narrowing of the flow of blood below the aortic valve in the left ventricle.
It is usually caused by a membrane or thickening in the muscle in this area.
Stunned Myocardium
If blood flow is returned to an area of heart muscle after a period of ischemia (lack of blood supply), the heart muscle may not pump normally for a period of days following the event.
This is called “stunned” heart muscle or myocardium.
Supraventricular Tachycardia
Supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) are a group of abnormally fast heart rhythms (heartbeats).
The word supraventricular means
above the ventricles.
With SVT, the abnormal rhythm starts in the upper heart chambers (atria)
Sustained VT
Episode of VT lasting at least 30 seconds.
Syncope
Fainting.
Systole
The portion of the cardiac cycle in which the heart muscle contracts, forcing the blood into the main blood vessels
Systolic Pressure
The pressure of the blood in the arteries when the heart pumps.
It is the higher of two blood pressure measurements (for example, 120/80, where 120
is the systolic pressure)
Swan Ganz Catheter
Inserted through a vein in your neck, into your heart, the Swan Ganz catheter is used to measure volume pressure in your heart chambers.
Tachycardia
Rapid heartbeat.
A heart rate above 90 beats per minute
Thallium Exercise Stress Test (Stress thallium test, Perfusion scan)
A type of nuclear scanning technique that uses the radioactive substance thallium.
A thallium stress test combines nuclear scanning with exercise on a treadmill or stationary bicycle to assess heart function and determine if there is adequate blood flow to the myocardium.
Thrombolytic Medication (clot-buster drug)
Medication used to dissolve any clots
that may be blocking blood flow in arteries and veins.
Thrombus
A blood clot.
Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
An invasive imaging procedure that creates a picture of the heart’s movement, valves, and chambers using high frequency sound waves that come from a small transducer passed down your throat.
TEE provides clear images of the heart’s movement because the transducer is close to the heart and limits interference from air in the lungs.
Echo is often combined with Doppler ultrasound and color Doppler to evaluate blood flow across the heart’s valves
Trans-Myocardial Revascularization (TMR)
A procedure used in people with severe heart disease who are not candidates for bypass surgery.
In this procedure, an incision is made in the chest.
The heart is exposed and small holes are drilled through the wall of the heart with a laser.
The benefits of TMR have not been proven
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
A stroke-like event lasting minutes, or hours, that
occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen-rich blood, but in which the effects wear off completely after resumption of blood flow
Transtelephonic Monitor
A small monitor is attached to electrode leads (usually on your finger or wrist).
Your heart’s rhythm is transmitted over the phone line with the aid of this device to your doctor’s office
Tricuspid Valve
The tricuspid valve is the valve that separates the right atrium from the right ventricle and prevents blood from flowing back into the right atrium during contraction of the ventricle
Troponins
Group of proteins found in skeletal and heart (cardiac) muscle fibers that regulate muscular contraction.
Troponin tests measure the level of cardiac specific troponin in the blood to help detect heart injury.
There are three types of troponin proteins: troponin C, troponin T, and troponin I
Valve
There are four valves in the heart, two on the left side and two on the right side.
On each side there is an inflow valve to the ventricle - the main pumping chamber - and an outflow valve
Varicose Veins
The veins in the leg may become weakened and enlarged, particularly after blood clots have formed in them.
These thin walled, enlarged veins are called “varicose” and cannot be used for coronary bypass grafts
Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)
VF is an abnormal heart rhythm in which the ventricles of the heart quiver instead of pumping normally.
It is due to disorganized electrical activity.
Ventricular fibrillation results in cardiac arrest with loss of consciousness and no pulse
Ventricle
The main pumping chamber of the heart is the ventricle.
The heart has a right ventricle that pumps blood to the lungs, and a left ventricle that pumps blood to the body
Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)
VT is a fast, abnormal heart rate.
It starts in your heart’s lower chambers, called the ventricles.
VT is defined as 3 or more heartbeats in a row, at a rate of more than 100 beats a minute.
If VT lasts for more than a few seconds at a time, it can become life-threatening.
Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (WCD)
A device worn by patients who are at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
A WCD allows physicians time to assess for their patient’s arrhythmic risk and make appropriate plans. A WCD is lightweight and easy to wear.
The WCD is non-invasive and consists of two main components – a garment and a monitor.
The garment, worn under clothing, detects arrhythmias and delivers treatment shocks
