CH. 10: Cardiovascular Surgical/Treatment Terms

Question 1

angioplasty

Answer 1

surgical repair of a blood vessel

Question 2

atherectomy

Answer 2

excision of fatty plaque (from a blocked artery using a specialized catheter and a rotary cutter)

Question 3

embolectomy

Answer 3

excision of a plug (embolus or clot, usu. with a balloon catheter, inflating the balloon beyond the clot, then pulling the balloon)

Question 4

endarterectomy

Answer 4

excision within the artery (excision of plaque from the arterial wall)

Question 5

pericardiocentesis

Answer 5

surgical puncture to aspirate fluid from the sac surrounding the heart (usu. to relieve cardiac tamponade and/or for diagnostic investigation)

Question 6

phlebectomy

Answer 6

excision of a vein

Question 7

valvuloplasty

Answer 7

surgical repair of a valve (cardiac or venous)

Question 8

artificial cardiac pacemaker

Answer 8

battery-powered apparatus implanted under the skin with leads placed on the heart or in the chamber of the heart used to treat an abnormal heart rhythm, usu. one that is too slow, secondary to an abnormal sinus node

Question 9

automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD)

Answer 9

device implanted in the body that continuously monitors the heart rhythm; if life-threatening arrhythmias occur, the device delivers an electric shock to convert the arrhythmia back to a normal rhythm

Question 10

catheter ablation

Answer 10

procedure in which abnormal cells that trigger abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) are destroyed by using a device that heats or freezes the cells

Question 11

coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)

Answer 11

surgical technique to bring a new blood supply to heart muscle by detouring around blocked arteries

Question 12

coronary stent

Answer 12

supportive scaffold device placed in the coronary artery; used to prevent closure of the artery after angioplasty or atherectomy; used to treat an artery occluded by plaque

Question 13

femoropopliteal bypass

Answer 13

surgery to establish an alternate route from femoral artery to popliteal artery to bypass an obstruction

Question 14

percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)

Answer 14

procedure in which a balloon is advanced into a coronary artery to the area where plaque has formed; when the balloon is inflated, the vessel wall expands, allowing blood to flow more freely (also called balloon angioplasty)

Question 15

thrombolytic therapy

Answer 15

injection of a medication either intravenously or intra-arterially to dissolved blood clots; it is often used in emergency departments for acute myocardial infarction.

Question 16

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Answer 16

emergency procedure consisting of external cardiac compressions; may be accompanied by artificial ventilation

Question 17

defibrillation

Answer 17

application of an electric shock to the myocardium through the chest wall to restore normal cardiac rhythm

Question 18

vasoconstrictor

Answer 18

agent that narrows the diameter of the blood vessels

Question 19

vasodilator

Answer 19

agent that expands the diameter of the blood vessels

Question 20

C-reative protein (CRP)

Answer 20

blood test to measure the amount of C-reactive protein in the blood, which when elevated, indicates inflammation in the body. It is sometimes used in assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Question 21

creatine phosphokinase (CPK)

Answer 21

blood test used to measure the level of creatine phosphokinase, an enzyme of heart and skeletal muscle released into the blood after muscle injury or necrosis. The test is useful in evaluating patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Question 22

lipid profile

Answer 22

blood test used to measure the amount and type of lipids (fat-like substances) in a sample of blood. This test is used to evaluate one of the risks of cardiovascular disease, and to monitor therapy for patients taking lipid-lowering medications.

Question 23

troponin

Answer 23

blood test that measures troponin, a heart muscle enzyme. Troponins are released into the blood approx. 3 hours after necrosis of the heart muscle and may remain elevated from 7 to 10 days. The test is useful in the diagnosis of a myocardial infarction.