Exam 2 Flashcards
systolic pressure
the amount of pressure in your arteries during contraction of your heart muscle
diastolic pressure
The bottom number refers to your blood pressure when your heart muscle is between beats.
blood pressure
the pressure of circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels
sphygmomanometer
an instrument for measuring blood pressure, typically consisting of an inflatable rubber cuff that is applied to the arm and connected to a column of mercury next to a graduated scale, enabling the determination of systolic and diastolic blood pressure by increasing and gradually releasing the pressure in the cuff.
hypertension
high blood pressure
hypotension
low blood pressure
angiocardiography and angiocardiogram
Angiocardiography is contrast radiography of the heart and great vessels. A liquid radiocontrast agent, typically containing iodine, is injected into the bloodstream, then the tissues are examined using X-rays.
echocardiography
An echocardiogram, often referred to as a cardiac echo or simply an echo, is a sonogram of the heart. (It is not abbreviated as ECG, because that is an abbreviation for an electrocardiogram.)
EKG
Heart Function and the ECG. Electrode leads on the chest wall are able to detect electrical impulses that are generated by the heart. Multiple leads provide many electrical views of the heart.
radiography
Radiography is an imaging technique using X-rays to view the internal structure of an object. To create the image, a beam of X-rays, a form of electromagnetic radiation, is produced by an X-ray generator and is projected toward the object.
pathology
the study of the essential nature of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes
aneurysm
A ballooning and weakened area in an artery.
angiopathy
Angiopathy is the generic term for a disease of the blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries).
arteriosclerosis
the thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries
atherosclerosis
The build-up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls.
atrial septal defect
ASD
This defect allows oxygen-rich blood to leak into the oxygen-poor blood chambers in the heart. ASD is a defect in the septum between the heart’s two upper chambers (atria)
ventricular septal defect
VSD
VSD is a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart. In normal development, the wall between the chambers closes before the fetus is born, so that by birth, oxygen-rich blood is kept from mixing with the oxygen-poor blood.
cardiomyopathy
An acquired or hereditary disease of heart muscle, this condition makes it hard for the heart to deliver blood to the body, and can lead to heart failure.
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
A condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick.
dilated cardiomyopathy
(DCM) is a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is decreased because the heart’s main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is enlarged and weakened. In some cases, it prevents the heart from relaxing and filling with blood as it should.
congestive heart failure
occurs when the heart is unable to pump sufficiently to maintain blood flow to meet the body’s needs
congestion vs edema
Pulmonary edema is much the same as congestion except that the substance in the alveoli is the watery plasma of blood, rather than whole blood
ascites
Ascites is a gastroenterological term for an accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity
diuresis
increased or excessive production of urine
prophylaxis
action taken to prevent disease, especially by specified means or against a specified disease.
occlusion
the blockage or closing of a blood vessel or hollow organ.
ischemia
an inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles.
necrosis
the death of most or all of the cells in an organ or tissue due to disease, injury, or failure of the blood supply.
infarction
the obstruction of the blood supply to an organ or region of tissue, typically by a thrombus or embolus, causing local death of the tissue.
sinus rhythm
A sinus rhythm is any cardiac rhythm where depolarisation of the cardiac muscle begins at the sinus node. It is characterised by the presence of correctly oriented P waves on the electrocardiogram (ECG). Sinus rhythm is necessary, but not sufficient, for normal electrical activity within the heart.
arrhythmia
Improper beating of the heart, whether irregular, too fast, or too slow.