Chapter 9 - Cardiovascular Flashcards
Aneurysm
Abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of an artery due to a weakness in the wall of the blood vessel
Angina pectoris
Chest pain that occurs when diseased blood vessels restrict blood flow to the heart. It is often referred to as angina. The pain can radiate to the neck, jaw, or left arm. It is often described as a crushing, burning, or squeezing sensation.
angin (to choke), pector (chest), -is (pertaining to)
Angiostenosis
Pathological condition of the narrowing of a blood vessel
angi/o (vessel), sten (narrowing), -osis (condition)
Antiarrhythmic agents
Used in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
Examples: Tambocor, Inderal, Calan, Cordarone, and Pacerone
Anticoagulants
Act to prevent blood clots from forming. They are known as “blood thinners.”
Examples: Coumadin and heparin
Antihypertensive agents
Used in the treatment of hypertension.
Examples: Catapres, Lopressor, Capoten, and Toprol-XL
Arrhythmia
Irregularity or loss of rhythm of the heartbeat; also called dysrhythmia
a- (lack of), rrhythm (rhythm), -ia (condition)
Atherosclerosis
Pathological condition of the arteries characterized by the buildup of fatty substances (cholesterol deposits and triglycerides) and hardening of the walls
ather/o (fatty substances, porridge), scler (hardening), -osis (condition)
Anastomosis
Surgical connection between blood vessels or the joining of one hollow or tubular organ to another
anastom (opening), -osis (condition)
Bradycardia
Abnormally slow heartbeat defined as fewer than 60 beats per minute
brady- (slow), card (heart), -ia (condition)
Bruit
Pathological noise; a sound of venous or aretrial origin heard on auscultation
Cardiomegaly
Enlargement of the heart
cardi/o (heart), -megaly (enlargement, large)
Cardiomyopathy (CMP)
Disease of the heart muscle that leads to generalized deterioration of the muscle and it’s pumping ability. It can be caused by multiple factors including viral infections.
cardi/o (heart), my/o (muscle), -pathy (disease)
Cardiotonic
A class of medication that is used to increase the tone (pumping strength) of the heart
cardi/o (heart), ton (tone), -ic (pertaining to)
Claudication
Literally means process of lameness or limping. It is a dull, cramping pain in the hips, thighs, calves, or buttocks caused by an inadequate supply of oxygen to the muscles, due to narrowed arteries. It is one of the symptoms in peripheral artery disease (PAD)
claudicat (to limp), -ion (process)
Constriction
Process of drawing together, as in narrowing of a vessel
con- (together, with), strict (to draw, to bind), -ion (process)
Cyanosis
Abnormal condition of the skin and mucous membranes caused by oxygen deficiency in the blood. The skin, fingernails, and mucous membranes can appear slightly blue or gray
cyan (dark blue), -osis (condition)
Echocardiography (ECHO)
Noninvasive ultrasound used to evaluate the heart for valvular or structural defects and coronary artery disease
ech/o (reflected sound), cardi/o (heart), -graphy (recording)
Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)
Records the heart’s electrical activity.
Embolism
Pathological condition caused by obstruction of a blood vessel by foreign substances or a blood clot
embol (a throwing in), -ism (condition)
Endarterectomy
Surgical excision of the inner portion of an artery
end- (within), arter (artery), -ectomy (surgical excision)
Endocarditis
Inflammation of the endocardium (inner lining of the heart). Treatment includes antibiotics and, in severe cases, surgery.
endo- (within), card (heart), -itis (inflammation)
Endocardium
Inner lining of the heart
endo- (within), cardi (heart), -um (tissue)
Fibrillation
Quivering or spontaneous contraction of individual muscle fibers, an abnormal bioelectric potential occurring in the neuropathies and myopathies; disorganized pathological rhythm that can lead to death if not immediately corrected
fibrillat (fibrils), -ion (process)
Flutter
Pathological rapid heart rate that may cause cardiac output (CO) to be decreased. On an EKG recording, a flutter will demonstrate a “saw-tooth” appearance.
Hemangioma
Benign tumor of a blood vessel
hem (blood), angi (vessel), -oma (tumor)
Hyperlipidemia
Abnormal high level of lipids in the blood.
hyper- (excessive, above), tens (pressure), -ion (process)
Infarction
Process of development of an infarct, which is death of tissue resulting from obstruction of blood flow
infarct (necrosis of an area), -ion (process)
Ischemia
Condition in which there is lack of oxygen due to decreased blood supply to a part of the body caused by constriction or obstruction of a blood vessel
isch (to hold back), -emia (blood condition)
Murmur
An abnormal sound ranging from soft and blowing to loud and booming heard on auscultation of the heart and adjacent large blood vessels.
Palpitation
An abnormal rapid throbbing or fluttering of the heart that is perceptible to the patient and may be felt by the physician during a physical exam
palpitate (throbbing), -ion (process)
Shock
A life-threatening condition that occurs when the body is not getting enough blood flow. This can damage multiple organs. Shock requires immediate medical treatment and can get worse very rapidly.
Tachycardia
Rapid heartbeat that is over 100 beats per minute
tachy- (rapid), card (heart), -ia (condition)
Thrombolytic agents
Act to dissolve an existing thrombus when administered soon after its occurrence. They are often referred to as issue plasminogen activators (tPA, TPA)
Examples: Streptase and Activase
Thrombosis
A blood clot within the vascular system; a stationary blood clot
thromb (clot of blood), -osis (condition)
Triglyceride
Pertaining to an organic compound consisting of three molecules of fatty acids
tri- (three), glyc (sweet, sugar), -er (relating to), -ide (having a particular quality)
Vasoconstrictive
Active narrowing of a blood vessel
vas/o (vessel), con- (together), strict (to draw, to bind), -ive (nature of, quality of)
Cardiac Catheterization (CC)
Medical procedure used to diagnose heart disorders.
Cardiac Enzyme Test
Blood tests preformed to determine cardiac damage in an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
AED
Automated external defibrillator
CABG
Coronary artery bypass graft
CAD
Coronary artery disease
CHD
Coronary heart disease
CHF
Congestive heart failure
PTCA
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
Vasodilation
The dilatation of blood vessels, which decreases blood pressure.
