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CARDIOVASCULAR AND PULMONARY LEGAL GLOSSARY |
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Glossary of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Terms
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B C
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F G
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J K L
M N
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Q R S
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W X Y Z #
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- A -
Abdomen: The area of the body between the
bottom of the ribs and the top of the thighs.
Abdominal Aorta: The portion of the aorta
in the abdomen.
Ablation: Elimination or removal.
ACE Inhibitor: A medicine that lowers
blood pressure by interfering with the breakdown of a protein-like substance
involved in blood pressure regulation.
Acetylcholine: A type of chemical (called
a neurotransmitter) that transmits messages among nerve cells and muscle cells.
Alveoli: Air sacs in the lungs where
oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.
Amiodarone: A kind of medicine (called an
antiarrhythmic) used to treat irregular heart rhythms such as atrial
fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. It works by regulating nerve impulses
in your heart. Amiodarone is mainly given to patients who have not responded to
other anti-arrhythmic medicines.
Aneurysm: A sac-like protrusion from a
blood vessel or the heart, resulting from a weakening of the vessel wall or
heart muscle.
Angina: An intense, steady pain or feeling
of pressure in the region of the heart caused by a decreased blood flow to the
heart muscle.
Angiography: An x-ray technique where dye
is injected into the chambers of your heart or the arteries that leads to your
heart (the coronary arteries). The test lets doctors measure the blood flow and
blood pressure in the heart chambers and see if the coronary arteries are
blocked.
Angioplasty: A non-surgical technique for
treating diseased arteries by temporarily inflating a tiny balloon inside an
artery.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker: A
medicine that lowers blood pressure by blocking the action of angiotensin II, a
chemical in the body that causes the blood vessels to tighten (constrict).
Annulus: The ring around a heart valve
where the valve leaflet merges with the heart muscle.
Antiarrhythmics: Medicines used to treat
patients who have irregular heart rhythms.
Anticoagulant: Any medicine that keeps
blood from clotting; a blood thinner.
Antihypertensive: Any medicine or other
therapy that lowers blood pressure.
Aorta: The largest artery in the body and
the initial vessel to supply blood from the heart.
Aortic valve: The valve that regulates
blood flow from the heart into the aorta.
Aphasia: The inability to speak, write, or
understand spoken or written language because of brain injury or disease.
Arrhythmia: An abnormal heartbeat.
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia:
ARVD is a type of cardiomyopathy with no known cause. It appears to be a genetic
condition (passed down through a family's genes). ARVD causes ventricular
arrhythmias. The most common symptoms are heart palpitations, fainting or loss
of consciousness (syncope), and, sometimes, sudden death.
Arteriography: A test that is combined
with cardiac catheterization to visualize an artery or the arterial system after
injection of a contrast dye.
Arterioles: Small, muscular branches of
arteries. When they contract, they raise resistance to blood flow, and blood
pressure in the arteries increases.
Artery: A vessel that carries oxygen-rich
blood to the body.
Arteritis: Inflammation of the arteries.
Arteriosclerosis: A disease process,
commonly called "hardening of the arteries", which includes a variety
of conditions that cause artery walls to thicken and lose elasticity.
Ascending Aorta: The first portion of the
aorta, emerging from the heart's left ventricle.
Aspirin: Acetylsalicylic acid; a medicine
used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and prevent blood clots.
Atherectomy: A non-surgical technique for
treating diseased arteries with a rotating device that cuts or shaves away
material that is blocking or narrowing an artery.
Atherosclerosis: A disease process that
leads to the buildup of a waxy substance, called plaque, inside blood vessels.
Atrium: The two upper or holding chambers
of the heart (together referred to as atria).
Atrial Flutter: A type of arrhythmia where
the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat very fast, causing the walls of
the lower chambers (the ventricles) to beat inefficiently as well.
Atrial Tachycardia: A type of arrhythmia
that begins in the heart's upper chambers (the atria) and causes a very fast
heart rate of 160 to 200 beats a minute. A resting heart rate is normally 60 to
100 beats a minute.
Atrioventricular Block: An interruption or
disturbance of the electrical signal between the heart's upper two chambers (the
atria) and lower two chambers (the ventricles).
Atrioventricular (AV) Node: A group of
cells in the heart located between the upper two chambers (the atria) and the
lower two chambers (the ventricles) that regulates the electrical current that
passes through it to the ventricles.
Atrium: Either one of the heart's two
upper chambers.
Antitachycardia Pacing: A method of
treating ventricular tachycardia (too-fast heartbeat) by stimulating the heart
with a preset rapid series of small electrical pulses.
Aorta: The largest artery in the body,
which carries blood from the left side of the heart to every part of the body.
Apex: The pointed part of the heart's left lower chamber (ventricle).
Array: A lead consisting of three electronically common elements joined
at a yoke. The SQ array is used as part of an AICD system.
Arrest - The stopping of a function. Cardiac arrest is the stopping of
the heartbeat and the heart's function.
Arrhythmia: An abnormal rhythm of the heart beat. Types of arrhythmias
include tachycardias (accelerated heartbeats) and bradycardias (slow
heartbeats).
Artery: A blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart
Asynchrony: A condition in which the heart fails to maintain a normal
time sequence between atrial and ventricular contractions.
Atherectomy: A minimally invasive CAD intervention procedure which
involves the excision and removal of blockages by catheters with miniature
cutting systems. not found in EuroDicautom
Atherosclerosis: Narrowing or blockage of arteries caused by a buildup of
fat (cholesterol) within the artery wall. The build-up is sometimes referred to
as "plaque."
Atria: The upper chambers of the heart, specifically the right atrium and
left atrium. The 2 atria collect blood as it comes into the heart and fill the
ventricles (lower chambers) with blood.
Atrio-Ventricular (AV) Node: A cluster of muscle cells located in the wall
between the right and left atrium, just above the ventricles. This part of the
heart's electrical pathway helps carry signals from the atria to the ventricles.
Atrio-Ventricular Synchrony: The normal physiologic sequencing of atrial
contraction followed, after a fraction of a second, by a ventricular
contraction.
Atrium: One of two upper chambers of the heart (plural: atria). The atria
collect blood as it comes into the heart and fill the lower chambers
(ventricles) with blood.
Autologous: Relating to self. For example, autologous stem cells are
those taken from the patient's own body.
Automatic Implantable Cardioverter
Defibrillator: A surgically implanted device that monitors the heartbeat and
delivers electrical impulses to correct an abnormal rhythm and restore a regular
heartbeat. The AICD system usually consists of an implanted pulse generator and
one or more leads. The system is adjusted using an external programming device.
Autoregulation: When blood flow to an organ stays the same although
pressure in the artery that delivers blood to that organ may have changed.
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