Cardiac Vocabulary: Part 2 Flashcards
Acute Coronary Syndrome
A spectrum of disease precesses from myocardial ischemia and injury to myocardial infarction.
Angina Pectoris
Chest pain that results when the heart’s oxygen demands exceed its blood supply.
Prinzmetal’s Angina
Also called vasospastic angina or atypical angina: variant of angina pectoris caused by vasospasm of the coronary arteries, not blockage per se.
Myocardial Infarction
Death and subsequent necrosis of the heart muscle caused by inadequate blood supply; also acute myocardial infarction.
Transmural infarction
Myocardial infarction that affects the full thickness of the myocardium and almost always results in a pathological Q wave in the affected leads.
ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)
Myocardial infarction with the presence of an elevated ST segment on the ECG
non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)
Myocardial infarction without the presence of an elevated ST segment on the ECG.
Heart Failure
Clinical syndrom in which the heart’s mechanical performances ins compromised so that cardiac output cannot meet the body’s needs.
Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
Blood clot in one of the pulmonary arteries.
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
Condition in which the heart’s reduced stroke volume causes an overload of fluid in the body’s other tissues.
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea (PND)
A sudden episode of difficult breathing that occurs after lying down; most commonly caused by left heart failure.
Hypertensive Emergency
An acute elevation of blood pressure that requires the blood pressure to be lowered within 1 hour; characterized by end-organ changes such as hypertensive encephalopathy, renal failure, or blindness. Usually greater than 130 mmHg.
Hypertensive Encephalopathy
A cerebral disorder of hypertension indicated by sever headache, nausea, vomiting, and altered mental status. Neurological symptoms may include blindness, muscle twitches, inability to speak, weakness, and paralysis.
Cardiac Arrest
The absence of ventricular contraction.
Downtime
Duration from the beginning of the cardiac arrest until effective CPR is established.
Total Downtime
Duration from the beginning of the arrest until the patient’s delivery to the emergency department.
Resuscitation
Provision of efforts to return a spontaneous pulse and breathing.
Atherosclerosis
A progressive, degenerative disease of the medium-sized and large arteries.
Arteriosclerosis
A thickening, loss of elasticity, and hardening of the walls of the arteries from calcium deposits.
Claudication
Sever pain in the calf muscle due to inadequate blood supply. It typically occurs with exertion and subsides with rest.
Dissection Aortic Aneurysm
Aneurysm caused when blood gets between and separates the layers of the aortic wall.
Cystic Medial Necrosis
A death of degeneration of a part of the wall of an artery.
Acute pulmonary embolism
Blockage that occurs when a blood clot or other particle lodges in a pulmonary artery.
Acute Arterial Occlusion
The sudden occlusion of arterial blood flow
Vasculitis
Inflammation of blood vessels
Peripheral Arterial Atherosclerotic Disease
A progressive degenerative disease of the medium-sized and large arteries.
Deep Venous Thrombosis
A blod clot in a vein
Varicose Veins
Dilated superficial veins, usually in the lower extremity.
