The Cardiovascular System Flashcards
angi/o
blood or lymph vessel
aort/o
aorta
arteri/o
artery
ather/o
plaque, fatty substance
brady-
slow
cardi/o
heart
-crasia
mixture or blending
-emia
blood, blood condition
erythr/o
red
hem/o, hemat/o
blood, relating to the blood
leuk/o
white
phleb/o
vein
tachy-
fast, rapid
thromb/o
clot
ven/o
vein
ACE inhibitor
medication administered to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure
anemia
a disorder characterized by a lower-than-normal number of erythrocytes (red blood cells) in the blood.
aneurysm
a localized weak spot or balloon-like enlargement of the wall of an artery
angina
a condition in which severe episodes of chest pain occur due to inadequate blood flow to the myocardium
angioplasty
the technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel
anticoagulant
medication that slows coagulation and prevents new clots from forming
aplastic anemia
a condition characterized by an absence of all formed blood elements caused by the failure of blood cell production in the bone marrow
arrhythmia
a loss of the normal rhythm of the heartbeat
atherectomy
surgical removal of plaque buildup from the interior of an artery
atherosclerosis
hardening and narrowing of the arteries due to a buildup of cholesterol plaque on the interior walls of the arteries
atrial fibrillation
rapid uncontrolled twitching of the muscular wall of the artria
automated external defibrillator
electronic equipment that externally shocks the heart to restore a normal cardiac rhythm
beta-blocker
medication administered to reduce the workload of the heart by slowing the rate of the heartbeat
bradycardia
an abnormally slow resting heart rate, usually at a rate of less than 60 beats per minute
cardiac arrest
an event in which the heart abruptly stops beating or develops an arrhythmia that prevents it from pumping blood effectively
cardiac catheterization
a diagnostic and treatment procedure in which a catheter is passed into a vein or artery and guided into the heart
cardiomyopathy
all diseases of the heart muscle
carotid endarterectomy
surgical removal of the lining of a portion of a clogged carotid artery leading to the brain
cholesterol
a fatty substance that travels through the blood and is found in all parts of the body
coronary artery disease
atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries that reduces the blood supply to the heart muscle
coronary thrombosis
damage to the heart muscle caused by a thrombus blocking a coronary artery
defibrillation
the emergency use of electrical shock to restore the heart’s normal rhythm
diuretic
medication administered to stimulate the kidney to increase the secretion of urine to rid the body of excess sodium and water
electrocardiogram
a record of the electrical activity of the myocardium
embolism
the sudden blockage of a blood vessel by an embolus
embolus
a foreign object such as a blood clot, a quantity of air or gas, or a bit of tissue or tumor, that is circulating in the blood
endocarditis
inflammation of the inner lining of the heart
erythrocytes
red blood cells, produced by the red bone marrow; primary role of these cells is to transport oxygen to the tissues
hemoglobin
oxygen-carrying blood protein pirgment of the erythrocytes
hemolytic anemia
condition characterized by an inadequate number of circulating red blood cells due to their premature destruction by the spleen
hemorrhage
the loss of a large amount of blood in a short time
hemostasis
to stop or control bleeding
leukemia
a type of cancer characterized by a progressive increase in the number of abnormal white blood cells found in blood-forming tissues, other organs, and in the circulating blood
leukocytes
white blood cells; involved in defending the body against infective organisms and foreign substances
megaloblastic anemia
a blood disorder characterized by anemia in which red blood cells are larger than normal
mitral valve prolapse
the abnormal protrusion of a heart valve that results in the inability of th evalve to close completely
myelodysplastic syndrome
a type of cancer in which there is insufficient production of one or more types of blood cells due to dysfunction of the bone marrow
myocardial infarction
the occlusion of one or more coronary arteries caused by plaque buildup
orthostatic hypotension,
low blood pressure that occurs upon standing up
pericardium
the double-walled membranous sac that enclosed the heart
pernicious anemia
anemia caused by a lack of the protein intrinsic factor (IF) that helps the body absorb vitamin B12 from the astrointestinal tract
phelbitis
inflammation of the vein
Raynaud’s disease
a peripheral arterial occlusive disease in which intermittent attacks are triggered by cold or stress
sepsis
a potentially life-threatening infection that results from bacteria or other infectious organisms entering the bloodstream
sickle cell anemia
a serious genetic disorder that causes abnormal hemoglobin resulting in some red blood cells assuming an abnormal sickle shape. This sickle shape interferes with normal blood flow resulting in damage to most of the body systems
tachycardia
an abnormally rapid resting heartbeat usually at a rate of more than 100 beats per minute
temporal arteritis
inflammation of the temporal arteries that can cause headache visual impairment or other symptoms
thallium stress test
a nuclear imaging test performed to evaluate how well blood flows through the coronary arteries of the heart muscle during exercise by injecting a small amount of thallium into the blood stream
thrombocytopenia
a condition in which there is an abnormally small number of platelets circulating in the blood
thrombolytic
medication that dissolves or causes a thrombus to break up
thrombosis
the abnormal condition of having a thrombus
thrombotic occlusion
the blocking of an artery by a thrombus
thrombus
a blood clot attached to the interior wall of an artery or vein
transfusion reaction
a serious and potentially fatal complication of a blood transfusion in which a severe immune response occurs because the patient’s blood and the donated blood do not match
varicose veins
abnormally swollen veins usually occurring in the superficial veins of the legs
venous thromboembolism
a blood clot that orginates in a vein
ventricular fibrillation
rapid, irregular, and useless contrations of the ventricles
ventricular tachycardia
a very rapid heartbeat that begins within the ventricles
