EMT230 Key Terms Flashcards
aberration
refers to the abnormal conduction of impulses through cardiac conduction pathways
absolute refractory period
the portion of the action potential during which the membrane is insensitive to all stimuli regardless of strength
accelerated junctional rhythm
a dysrhythmia that results from increased automaticity of the atrioventricular junction
acute arterial occlusion
a sudden blockage of arterial flow, most commonly is caused by trauma, embolus, or thrombosis
acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
a spectrum of clinical disease that include AMI and unstable angina
acute deep vein thrombosis
occlusion of a vessel by a thrombus in any portion of the deep venous system
acute dissection aortic aneursym
separation of the arterial wall of the aorta
acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
the sudden interruption of blood supply to the heart, resulting in death of cardiac tissue
afterload
the total resistance against which blood must be pumped (aka peripheral vascular resistance)
algorithms
lists used to summarize information, such as prehospital and in-hospital management recommendations
amyloidosis
a condition that results from deposits of abnormal protein in heart tissue
angioplasty
repair of damaged vessels
anterior hemiblock
failure in conduction of the cardiac impulse in the anterior division of the left bundle branch
asystole
a life-threatening cardiac condition characterized by the absence of electrical and mechanical activity of the heart
atrial fibrillation
a dysrhythmia that results from multiple area of reentry within the atria or from an ectopic atrial pacemaker
atrial flutter
a dysrhythmia that usually results from rapid atrial reentry of electrical impulses
atrial kick
the priming force contributed by atrial contraction immediately before ventricular systole that acts to increase the efficiency of ventricular ejection due to acutely increased preload
atrial tachycardia
a rhythm disturbance that arises from an irritable site in the atria, producing tachycardia
atrioventricular dissociation
a conduction disturbance in which atrial and ventricular contraction occur rhythmically but are unrelated to each other
augmented limb leads
unipolar leads that record the difference in electrical potential in cardiac muscle (e.g. “aVr”, “aVl”, and “aVf”)
automaticity
a property of specialized excitable tissue that allows self-activation through spontaneous development of an action potential
axis
the imaginary straight line that joins the positive and negative electrodes of each ECG lead
bifascicular block
reference to the blockage of two or three pathways (fascicles) for ventricular conduction
bipolar lead
a lead composed of two electrodes of opposite polarity
bradycardia
HR < (less than) 60 bpm
bruit
an abnormal sound or murmur heard while auscultating an artery, organ, or gland
cannon A waves
waves of pulse pressure that are visible in the jugular veins of a patient in VT
cardiac ejection fraction (also known as “EF%”)
the percentage of ventricular blood volume released during a contraction
cardiomyopathy
any disease that effects the myocardium
coarse VF
fibrillatory waves that are > (greater than) 3 mm in amplitude