Cardiovascular: Symptomatic and Diagnostic Terms Flashcards
thickening, loss of elasticity, and calcification (hardening) of the arterial walls
arteriosclerosis
buildup of fatty substances within the walls of arteries
atherosclerosis
a swollen area within the lining of an artery caused by the buildup of fat
atheromatous plaque
a stationary blood clot
thrombus
a clot (air, fat, foreign object) carried in the bloodstream that obstructs when it lodges
embolus
condition of narrowing of a part
stenosis
compression of a part
constriction
plugging; obstruction or a closing off
occlusion
to hold back blood; decreased blood flow to tissue caused by constriction or occlusion of a blood vessel
ischemia
lack of flow through a blood vessel caused by narrowing, occlusion, etc.
perfusion deficit
to stuff; a localized area of necrosis caused by ischemia as a result of occlusion of a blood vessel
infarct
chest pain caused by a temporary loss of oxygenated blood to heart muscle often caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries `
angina pectoris
a widening; bulging of the wall of the heart , the aorta, or an artery caused by congenital defect or acquired weakness
aneurysm
a sac-like bulge on one side
saccular aneurysm
a spindle-shaped bulge
fusiform aneurysm
a split or tear of the vessel wall
dissecting aneurysm
to limp; pain in a limb while walking that subsides after rest; it is caused by inadequate blood supply
claudication
profuse sweating
diaphoresis
an abnormal sound from the heart produced by defects in the chambers or valves
heart murmur
subjective experience of pounding, skipping, or racing heartbeats
palpitation
to grow; an abnormal growth of tissue around a valve, generally a result of an infection such as bacterial endocarditis
vegetation
any of several kinds of irregularity or loss of rhythm of the heartbeat
arrhythmia/dysrhythmia
slow heart rate
bradycardia
chaotic, irregular contractions of the heart, as in atrial or ventricular fibrillation
fibrillation
extremely rapid but regular contractions of the heart, as in atrial or ventricular flutter
flutter
an interference with the normal electrical conduction of the heart defined by the location of the block, i.e. AV block
heart block
PVC
- premature ventricular contraction
- a ventricular contraction preceding the normal impulse initiated by the SA node
fast heart rate >100beats/minute
tachycardia
ASHD
-arteriosclerotic heart disease -a degenerative condition of the arteries characterized by thickening of the inner lining loss of elasticity, and susceptibility to rupture- seen most often in the aged or smokers
narrowing of the descending portion of the aorta resulting in a limited flow of blood to the lower part of the body
coarctation of the aorta
PDA
- patent ductus arteriosus
- an abnormal opening between the pulmonary artery and the aorta caused by the failure of the fetal ductus arteriosus to close after birth
an anomaly that consists of four defects: pulmonary stenosis, ventricular septal defect, malposition of the aorta, and right ventricular hypertrophy0 causes blood to bypass the pulmonary circulation so that deoxygenated blood goes into the systemic circulation, resulting in cyanosis
tetralogy of Fallot
VSD
- ventricular septal defect
- an opening in the septum separating the ventricles
CHF
-congestive heart failure, aka left ventricular failure -failure of the left ventricle to pump and adequate amount of blood to meet the demands of the body, resulting in a “bottleneck” of congestion in the lungs that may extend to the veins, causing edema in the lower portions of the body
a condition of enlargement of the right ventricle as a result of chronic disease within the lungs that causes congestion within the pulmonary circulation and resistance of blood flow to the lungs
cor pulmonale/right ventricular failure
CAD
- coronary artery disease
- a condition affecting arteries of the heart that reduces the flow of blood and delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the myocardium-most often caused by atherosclerosis
HTN
- hypertension
- persistently high blood pressure
high blood pressure attributed to no single cause, but risks include smoking, obesity, increased salt intake, hypercholesterolemia, and hereditary factors
essential (primary) hypertension
high blood pressure caused by the affects of another disease (ie. kidney disease)
secondary hypertension
MVP
- mitral valve prolapse
- protrusion of one or both cusps of the mitral valve back into the left atrium during ventricular contraction, resulting in incomplete closure and back flow of blood
MI
- myocardial infarction
- heart attack; death of myocardial tissue owing to loss of blood flow as a result of an occlusion of a coronary artery- usually caused by atherosclerosis; symptoms include pain in chest or upper body, shortness of breath, diaphoresis, and nausea
inflammation of the myocardium most often caused by viral or bacterial infection
myocarditis
inflammation of the pericardium
pericarditis
inflammation of a vein
phlebitis
damage to heart muscle and heart valves by rheumatic fever
rheumatic heart disease
inflammation of a vein associated with a clot formation
thrombophlebitis
abnormally swollen, twisted veins with defective valves, most often seen in the legs
varicose veins
DVT
-deep vein thrombosis, formation of a clots in a deep vein in the body, occurring most often in the femoral and iliac veins
EKG/ECG
electrocardiogram
- an electrical picture of the heart represented by positive and negative deflections on a graph labeled with letters P,Q,R,S,T corresponding with events of the cardiac cycle
MRA
- magnetic resonance angiography
- magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and blood vessels for evaluation of pathology
PET scan for the heart
- positron emission tomography scan of the heart
- use of nuclear isotopes and computed tomography techniques to produce perfusion images and study the cellular metabolism of the heart; can be taken at rest or with stress
CABG
- coronary artery bypass
- grafting of a portion of a blood vessel retrieved from another part of the body to bypass an occluded coronary artery, restoring circulation to myocardial tissue; the traditional method includes temporary arrest of the heart with circulation of the patient’s blood through a heart-lung machine during the procedure- an alternative off-pump approach uses a stabilizer to perform the procedure
PTCA
- percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
- a method of treating the narrowing of a coronary artery by inserting a specialized catheter with a balloon attachment, then inflating it to dilate and open the narrowed portion of the vessel and restore blood flow to the myocardium; most often includes placement of a stent
NSR
- normal sinus rhythm
- regular rhythm of the heart cycle stimulated by the SA node
ASHD
- arteriosclerotic heart disease
- a degenerative condition of the arteries characterized by thickening of the inner lining loss of elasticity, and susceptibility to rupture- seen most often in the aged or smokers
a bacterial inflammation that affects the endocardium or the heart valves
bacterial endocarditis
compression of the heart produced by the accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac as results from pericarditis or trauma, causing rupture of a blood vessel within the heart
cardiac tamponade
a general term for disease of the heart muscle (e.g. alcoholic cardiomyopathy=damage to the heart muscle caused by excessive drinking)
cardiomyopathy
malformations of the heart present at birth
congenital anomaly of the heart
