Ch. 17 Cardiovascular Emergencies Flashcards
A term describing the shape of the QRS complex in aberrantly (abnormally) conducted beats.
aberration
The early phase of cardiac repolarization, wherein the heart muscle cannot be stimulated to depolarize; also known as the effective refractory period.
Absolute Refractory Period (ARP)
A series of cardiac conditions caused by an abrupt reduction in coronary artery blood flow.
acute coronary syndromes (ACSs)
Cardiac ischemia that occurs when sudden narrowing or complete occlusion of a coronary artery leads to death (necrosis) of myocardial tissue.
Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI)
The Right Atrium and Left Atrium are divided by a wall called the ____________ ________.
The two upper chambers, the Right Atrium and Left Atrium, are divided by a wall called the INTERATRIAL SEPTUM.
The two lower chambers, the Right Ventricle and Left Ventricle are divided by a wall called the _________________ _______.
The Right Atrium and Left Atrium are divided by a wall called the INTERVENTRICULAR SEPTUM.
The _____ heart pumps arterial blood through the AORTA and on to all parts of the body.
The LEFT heart pumps arterial blood through the AORTA and on to all parts of the body.
The _____ heart pumps ______ (deoxygenated) blood through the _____________ _________ into the lungs.
The RIGHT heart pumps VENOUS (deoxygenated) blood through the PULMONARY ARTERIES into the lungs.
A ventricular rate of less than 20 beats/min; this rhythm is seen just before the heart stops beating altogether.
Agonal Rhythm
A term describing the shape of the QRS complex in aberrantly (abnormally) conducted beats.
Aberration
The sudden pain that occurs when the oxygen supply to the myocardium is insufficient to meet demand, causing ischemic changes in the tissue.
angina pectoris
An outpouching or bulge in the wall of a portion of the aorta, caused by weakening and dilation of the vessel wall; a ruptured aortic aneurysm is life threatening.
aortic aneurysm
The absence of any cardiac rhythm or organized activity; asystole or ventricular standstill.
arrhythmia
A pathologic condition in which the thickening and stiffening of the arterial walls makes the arteries less elastic.
arteriosclerosis
An artificial product; in cardiology, used to refer to noise or interference in an ECG tracing.
artifact
The absence of ventricular contraction or electrical activity; a straight-line or flat-line ECG.
asystole
A mass of fatty tissue that gradually calcifies, hardening into an atheromatous plaque that infiltrates the arterial wall, diminishing its elasticity.
atheroma
An accumulation of fat inside a blood vessel that narrows the diameter of the lumen.
atherosclerosis
A group of cells that slows the electrical impulses from the sinoatrial node before relaying it to the ventricles; located in the floor of the right atrium immediately behind the tricuspid valve and near the opening of the coronary sinus.
atrioventricular (AV) node
On an ECG, leads aVR, aVL, and aVF. They contain only one true pole; the other is a combination of information from other leads. A standard12-lead ECG consists of the three augmented leads, along with the three standard limb leads and the six precordial leads.
augmented limb leads
A smart defibrillator that can analyze the patient’s ECG rhythm, determine whether a defibrillating shock is needed, and guide the user through the resuscitation effort via voice commands.
automated external defibrillator (AED)
Movement of the heart’s QRS axis to the right or left of its normal position. Beck triad The classic trio of signs associated with cardiac tamponade: narrowed pulse pressure, muffled heart tones, and jugular vein distention.
axis deviation
Blockage of any two fascicles or conduction pathways: a right bundle branch block (RBBB) with anterior hemiblock, RBBB with posterior hemiblock, or anterior hemiblock and posterior hemiblock (a combination known as LBBB).
bifascicular block
A dysrhythmia in which every other complex is a premature complex, causing a normal–early beat–normal–early beat pattern; can be atrial, junctional, or ventricular.
bigeminy
On an ECG, leads that contain both a positive and a negative pole: leads I, II, and III.
bipolar leads
Abnormal whooshing sounds indicating turbulent blood flow within a narrowed vessel; usually heard in the carotid arteries.
bruits
An intraventricular conduction disturbance involving impedance of electrical impulses from the bundle of His to the right or left bundle branch.
bundle branch block (BBB)
The portion of the heart’s conduction system located in the upper portion of the interventricular septum that conducts electrical impulses from the atrioventricular junction to the right and left bundle branches; also called the AV bundle.
bundle of His
The cessation of cardiac mechanical activity, as confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation; also called cardiopulmonary arrest.
cardiac arrest
A minimally invasive procedure performed under fluoroscopic guidance, a balloon, stent, or other device is advanced through a peripheral artery catheter and into an obstructed coronary vessel to diagnose and treat coronary artery obstruction; also known as percutaneous coronary intervention and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.
cardiac catheterization
The period from one cardiac contraction to the next. Each _______ ______ consists of ventricular contraction (systole) and relaxation (diastole).
cardiac cycle
A pathologic condition characterized by restriction of cardiac contraction, falling cardiac output, and shock as a result of pericardial fluid accumulation.
cardiac tamponade
One of the two branches of the left main coronary artery; branches of the Cx supply the left atrium, part of the lateral surface of the left ventricle, the inferior surface of the left ventricle in about 15% of people, the posterior surface of the left ventricle in 15%, the sinoatrial node in about 40%, and the atrioventricular bundle in 10% to 15%.
circumflex artery (Cx)
Pain, cramping, muscle tightness, fatigue, or weakness of the legs during physical activity as a result of increased oxygen demand by the muscle tissue of the legs, hips, and buttocks.
claudication
An ECG pattern in which the QRS complexes are all in the same direction in the precordial leads as a result of improper lead placement, anterior wall MI, VT, or other variables.
concordant precordial pattern
Leads that view geographically similar areas of the myocardium, such as leads II, III, and aVF; useful for localizing areas of ischemia.
contiguous leads
The blood vessels that supply blood to the tissues of the heart.
coronary arteries
Disease of the coronary arteries and its associated signs, symptoms, and complications, such as angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction.
coronary heart disease (CHD)
Two consecutive (paired) premature ventricular complexes.
couplet
The process by which of an unsynchronized direct current (DC) electric shock is delivered to the heart to terminate ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia.
defibrillation
The process of discharging resting cardiac muscle fibers by means of an electrical impulse that stimulates contraction.
depolarization
The process by which the intimal and medial layers of a vessel separate (dissect) after a tear occurs in an aneurysmal portion of the arterial wall. With each ventricular systole, a jet of blood is forced into the torn arterial wall, creating and propagating a false channel.
dissection
Cardiac rhythm disturbances. ectopic An impulse or rhythm that originates from a site other than the SA node.
dysrhythmias
In the heart, the specialized cardiac tissue that initiates and conducts electric impulses; includes the SA node, internodal conduction pathways, atrioventricular node, bundle of His, and the Purkinje network.
electrical conduction system
Inflammation of the endocardium as a result of infection.
endocarditis
Failure of the anterior or posterior fascicles of the heart to conduct electrical impulses because of disease or ischemia.
fascicular block (hemiblock)
The process of dissolving blood clots. fibrinolytic therapy The use of medications that act to dissolve blood clots.
fibrinolysis
A delay in the conduction of the depolarizing impulse from the SA node to the ventricles, prolonging the PR interval; also called first-degree heart block.
first-degree AV block
A syndrome that occurs when the heart is unable to pump powerfully enough or fast enough to empty its chambers; as a result, blood backs up into the systemic circuit, the pulmonary circuit, or both.
heart failure