Cardiovascular System Flashcards
BPM
Beats per minute
CP
chest pain
DVT
deep vein thrombosis
HTN
hypertension aka high blood pressure
JVD
jugular venous distension
AMI
acute myocardial infraction (heart attack)
PE
Pulmonary embolism
RRR
regular rate and rhythm
Arteriosclerosis
hardening of the arteries
Embolus
An intravascular particulate that migrates from the site of it production and is large enough to occlude a capillary
Hemorrhage
escape of the blood from the blood vessels (bleeding)
Hemostasis
the opposite of hemorrhage, it means to stop bleeding
Phlebitis
inflammation of a vein
Thrombus
A blood clot that impairs blood flow at the region in which it was created. if it breaks away and travels to a new region
Thromboembolism
The formation of a clot (thrombosis) that may detach and travel thought the circulatory system to eventually occlude a distant capillary (embolism). This causes local hypoxia and cell death. if in the heart this causes ischemia and will lead to myocardial infarction.
Vasodilation/vasodilator
the expansion of a vessel ,which causes an increase in the cross sectional area of the lumen and allows for increased blood flow though a vessel
Asystole
lack of a heart beat
cardiac ischemia
restriction of blood flow to the heart preventing it from receiving enough oxygen
regurgitation
blood flood past a heart valve in the opposite direction of normal physiology
Stenosis
Narrowing of the lumen of a vessel. Significant stenosis may cause turbulent blood flow that can be heard during
Normal Cardiovascular Exam
- regular rate and rhythm (RRR)
- Normal heart sounds
- No gallops, rubs or murmurs
- good capillary refill
Palpitations
an abnormal awareness of your own heartbeat, often related to an arrhythmia like PACs or PVCs
Anasarca
Generalized edema due to either liver, kidney or heart failure
Gallop (S3/S4)
An additional heart sound ( S3 or S4) will results in 3 heart sounds ( rather than the typical 2 sounds ) and this 3-beat-sounds is likened to a horse’s gallop
Murmur
whooshing sounds caused by turbulent flow due to either valvular regurgitation or stenosis. Graded as 1-6/6 systolic or diastolic
Tachycardia
Rapid heard rate
Bradycardia
slow heart rate
Thrill
a heart murmur that causes palpable vibrations on the chest walls
Extrasystoles
Also known as extra systole, premature beat, premature contraction, premature systole, premature ventricular beat or PVB, premature ventricular contraction or PVC
Friction Rub
the most common form is the pericardial friction rub, which sounds like a scratching sound, caused by contact between inflames layers of pericardium
Jugular Venous Distention
enlarged or prominent internal jugular veins in the neck due to fluid retention
irregularly irregular rhythm
arrhythmia aka cardiac dysrhythmia, irregular heart rhythm (don’t be confused with irregular heart rate)
Pulses
- absent
- 2+ normal
- 4+bounding
Most commonly checked
- radial pulse; wrist on the thumb side
- femoral pulse: on the groin
- dorsalis pedis pulse: on top of the foot
Additional Pulses
- posterior tibial (PT) :behind the medical malleolus
- Brachial pulse: inner upper arm
- carotid: front of the neck
Hamman’s crunch
a crunching rasping sound, synchronous with the heartbeat, heard over the precordium in spontaneous mediastinal emphysema produced by the heart beating against air-filled tissues
capillary refill
defined as the time taken for color to return to an external capillary bed after pressure is applied to cause blanching. in normal person with good cardiac output and digital perfusion, capillary refilling should take less than 3 three seconds. A time of more than 3 seconds is considered a sign of sluggish digital circulation and a time of 5 seconds is regarded abnormal
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
symptoms such as pressure-like chest pain, diaphoresis and referred pain in the epigastrium, left arm, neck or jaw
Acute mycardial infarction (AMI or MI)
STEMI: ST elevated myocradial infarction due to completely occluded coronary artery. On EKG as an elevated ST segment, which denotes a relatively large amount of cardiac ishcemia and infarcation
NSTEMI: non- ST elevated
Aneurysm
a swollen bublous bulge in blood vessel wall that includes all vessel layers. Risk for rupture can cause sever internal hemorrhage, shock and death, locations on the base of the brain and abdominal aorta.
Aortic dissection
tear in inner wall of the aorta that causes separation from the outer layers as blood flow between them. risk of aortic rupture, fatal due to rapid internal hemorrhage
Atrial Fibrillation (A-fib)
“irregularly irregular” heart rhythm
Meaning: there is no pattern to the irregular rhythm.
Atrial fibrillation with RVR
Atrial fibrillation w/ Rapid Ventricular Response
when ventricular rhythm is also rapid while in a-fib
Angina
Chest pain due to Cardiac Ischemia
Stable Angina
Chest pain produced with exertion due to Cardiac Ischemia that resolves after a few minutes of resting
Unstable Angina
Chest pain that presents at rest or with minimal exertion and lasts >10 minutes per episode. This pain is either more severe, more frequent or lasts for longer durations than the patient’s previously stable angina
Types of Chest Pain
- Chest Wall
- Pleuritic
- Precordial
Cardiomegaly
An enlarged heart, often due to long-standing heart disease
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)/ Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
these two terms refer to Atherosclerosis (plaque build-up) of the coronary arteries.
(Sometimes terms used interchangeably)
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
Chronic Condition in which the heart is unable to provide sufficient blood flow for bodily needs
Left Sided Heart Failure
Aortic blood flow is impaired and blood may back-up in the Pulmonary Circulation (Pulmonary Edema)
Often leads to right sided heart failure
Right Sided Heart Failure
Blood flow to the lungs is impaired and blood may back-up at the right atrium (in the vena cavae)
Hyperlipidemia(HLD)/Hypercholesteremia
High blood lipids
Blood Lipids: carrier molecules for cholesterol in the body
HLD often colloquially refered to as high blood cholesterol
Hypertension (HTN)
High blood pressure, defined as a chronic blood pressure of over (>) 140/90 mmHg.
Places greater strain on the heart and blood vessels over time, increasing the risk for other CV (Cardiovascular) diseases
Hypotension
Low blood Pressure, pressure under (
Pulmonary Embolism
Formation of an embolus that becomes lodged in an artery supplying the lungs
Congenital Heart Disease (in Pediatric Patients)
Abnormality in heart’s structure that a person is born with.
Often considered a childhood condition, advances in surgical treatment means babies that once died of the disease survive well into adulthood
