Cardiovascular-Iii
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Start Flashcard Study Return to Medical Terminology homepage| Medical Term | Description |
| abdominal aorta | The part of the descending aorta passing through the diaphragm into the abdomen. |
| abo blood group | A major blood classification system based on the presence or absence of two antigens, A and B. Type O occurs when neither A nor B is present and AB when both are present. A and B are genetic factors that determine the presence of enzymes for the synthesis of certain glycoproteins mainly in the red cell membrane. |
| acanthocytes | Erythrocytes with spiny projections giving the cell a thorny appearance. |
| accelerated idioventricular rhythm | A type of automatic, not reentrant, ectopic ventricular rhythm with episodes lasting from a few seconds to a minute. The ventricular rate is 50 to 100 beats per minute. |
| acebutolol | A beta blocker drug used to treat high blood pressure, irregular rhythms and angina pectoris. |
| adams-stokes syndrome | Recurring fainting spells caused by incomplete heart block. |
| advanced cardiac life support | The use of sophisticated methods and equipment to treat cardiopulmonary arrest. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) includes the use of specialized equipment to maintain the airway, early defibrillation and pharmacological therapy. |
| afibrinogenemia | A deficiency or absence of fibrinogen in the blood. |
| alprostadil | A potent vasodilator agent that increases peripheral blood flow. |
| anacrotism | A secondary notch in the pulse curve, obtained in a pulse tracing. |
| anaerobic | Taking place without oxygen. |
| angioscope | An endoscope used for viewing the interior of blood vessels. |
| angiotensin | A family of peptides in the blood that causes vasoconstriction and increased blood pressure. |
| ankle brachial index | The ankle-arm index. This is the ratio of the higher of the two ankle systolic blood pressures divided by the higher of the two arm systolic pressures. It is a predictor of peripheral arterial disease. |
| antifibrinolytic | Preventing the breakdown of a blood clot or thrombus. |
| antihypertensive | Drugs used to reduce high blood pressure. |
| arterioles | The smallest divisions of the arteries located between the muscular arteries and the capillaries. |
| arteriolosclerosis | Thickening of the walls of small arteries or arterioles. |
| arteritis | inflammation of one or more arteries. |
| atherectomy | Endovascular procedure for removing atheromatous plaque by a cutting or rotating catheter. |
| atorvastatin | A drug used to reduce the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. |
| avascular | An area of the body lacking adequate blood vessels or blood supply. |
| bacteremia | The presence of bacteria in the blood. Fever, chills, tachycardia, and tachypnea are common manifestations of bacteremia. |
| baroreceptor | One of the blood pressure sensitive nerve ending in heart's atria, aorta and the carotid sinuses. |
| blood banks | Centers for collecting, characterizing and storing human blood. |
| blood cell | Any of the cells found in blood. This includes erythrocytes (red cells), leukocytes (white cells) and thrombocytes (platelets). |
| blood clot | A semisolid mass formed by blood coagulation. Thrombus. |
| blood coagulation | The process of the interaction of blood coagulation factors that results in an insoluble fibrin clot. |
| blood count | The number of red or white blood cells in a specified volume of blood. |
| blood group | Classification of blood based upon antigens on the surface of the red cell. Many blood grouping systems have been developed. The ABO system is one of the most important. |
| blood plasma | The liquid part of the blood, free of formed elements and particles. |
| blood transfusion | The administration of whole blood or a blood component into the blood stream. |
| blood vessels | Any of the tubular vessels conveying the blood (arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins). |
| brachial artery | The continuation of the axillary artery; it branches into the radial and ulnar arteries. |
| capillary fragility | The susceptibility of capillaries, under conditions of increased stress, to rupture. Seen as bleeding under the skin. |
| cardiac tamponade | A dangerous compression of the heart by accumulated fluid (pericardial effusion) or blood in the pericardium surrounding the heart. |
| cardiopulmonary resuscitation | An emergency procedure for life support consisting of manual, external heart massage and artificial respiration. |
| cardiotoxin | An agent that has damaging effect on the heart. |
| cardiovascular disease | A pathological condition involving the cardiovascular system including the heart, the blood vessels or the pericardium. |
| carotid bruit | A murmur auscultated over the carotid artery on the neck. It can indicate arterial narrowing and an increased risk of stroke. |
| carotid stenosis | Narrowing of any part of the carotid arteries, most often due to atherosclerotic plaque formation. |
| cavogram | An angiogram of the vena cava, inferior or superior. |
| celiac artery | The arterial trunk that arises from the abdominal aorta and after a short course divides into the left gastric, common hepatic and splenic arteries. |
| central line | IV line inserted for continuous access to a central vein. |
| cerebrovascular disorders | One of several pathological conditions of impaired blood flow in the brain. |
| circle of willis | A vascular network at the base of the brain. |
| circulation | The circuit of blood through the network of arteries and veins. |
| clot | A soft, insoluble mass formed by blood or lymph. |
| coagulate | To change a liquid into a gel or solid. |
| dicrotic | A heartbeat with two separate peaks. |
| ebstein anomaly | A congenital heart defect characterized by third and fourth heart sounds and a systolic murmur best heard at the tricuspid position. The tricuspid valve is displaced downward and the right atrium is usually enlarged. |
| echocardiography | A noninvasive diagnostic procedure that uses ultrasound to study to structure and motions of the heart and blood flow. |
| ejection click | A sharp clicking sound heard during cardiac auscultation. |
| ejection fraction | The portion of the total ventricular filling volume that is ejected during a heart beat. |
| elliptocytosis | Condition of having an abnormal number of elliptical red cells in the blood. |
| embolectomy | An emergency surgical removal of an obstructing clot or foreign material. |
| endarteritis | Inflammation of the inner endothelial lining of an artery. |
| endocardial | Situated or occurring within the heart. |
| endothelium | A layer of epithelium that lines the heart, blood vessels, lymph vessels and the serous cavities of the body. |
| endovascular procedures | Within a blood vessel. |
| erythroblast | A nucleated immature red blood cell found in bone marrow. |
| erythroid | Reddish color. |
| erythromelalgia | A rare peripheral arterial disorder occurring in middle aged patients characterized by severe burning pain, reddening, hyperalgesia and sweating of the extremities. |
| fibrin | An insoluble protein end product of blood coagulation, formed from fibrinogen by the action of thrombin. |
| gallop | A third heart sound that resembles the sound of a galloping horse. |
| heart arrest | Cessation of heart beat. |
| hematocrit | The percentage by volume of red blood cells in a given sample. |
| hemodynamics | The forces involved in the movement of the blood through the cardiovascular system. |
| heparin | An endogenous, short-acting anticoagulant. |
| hydremia | An excess of water in the blood. |
| hypernatremia | An excess of sodium in the blood. |
| hyperphosphatemia | Abnormally high level of phosphates in the blood. |
| hypertriglyceridemia | A condition of elevated levels of triglycerides in the blood. |
| hypocalcemia | Abnormally low levels of calcium in the blood. |
| hypokalemia | Abnormally low potassium concentration in the blood. |
| hypovolemia | An abnormally low volume of circulating blood. |
| iliac artery | Either of two large arteries originating from the abdominal aorta; they supply blood to the pelvis, abdominal wall and legs. |
| intracranial embolism | Blocking of a blood vessel in the skull by an embolus which can be a thrombus or other undissolved material in the blood stream. |
| leukocyte | A white blood cell. |
| leukocytosis | An abnormally large increase in the number of leukocytes in the blood. |
| microvessels | The finer blood vessels of the vasculature that are generally less than 100 microns in internal diameter. |
| neovascularization | Formation of new blood vessels. |
| neutropenia | Abnormally decrease in the numbers of neutrophils in circulating blood. |
| normotensive | Having normal blood pressure. |
| pericardiocentesis | Puncture and aspiration of fluid from the pericardium. |
| periphlebitis | Inflammation of the tissues around a vein |
| phonocardiogram | A waveform of heart sound amplitude over time, usually a few heartbeats. |
| pleocytosis | A presence of an abnormally high number of cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. |
| profunda | Blood vessels situated deep in the body tissues they supply. |
| pulse | The rhythmical expansion and contraction of an artery, caused by blood pumping from the heart. |
| pylethrombosis | Thrombosis of the portal vein. |
| reperfusion | Restoration of blood supply to tissue which was ischemic. |
| semilunar valve | Either the aortic valve or the pulmonary valve, each consisting of crescent-shaped cusps. |
| septal defect | A hole in the septum of the heart, usually congenital. |
| simvastatin | A statin used to treat high blood cholesterol levels. |
| spherocytes | Small, abnormal spherical red blood cells with more than the normal amount of hemoglobin. |
| spherocytosis | A blood disorder characterized by the presence of small, sphere like red blood cells. |
| splenic artery | The largest branch of the celiac trunk with distribution to the spleen, pancreas, stomach and greater omentum. |
| stasis | A cessation or diminution of flow of blood or other fluids. |
| stress test | A test to evaluate heart function by monitoring heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and EKG while the patient exercises with a treadmill or exercise bike. |
| stroke volume | The amount of blood pumped out of one ventricle of the heart in one beat. |
| temporal arteries | Arteries arising from the external carotid or the maxillary artery and distributing to the temporal region. |
| tetralogy of fallot | Tetralogy of Fallot is a rare congenital heart defect. It is a combination of four defects which result in oxygen-poor blood flow. |
| thrombectomy | Surgical removal of an obstructing clot or foreign material from a blood vessel at the point of its formation. |
| thrombolysis | The dissolution of a thrombus. |
| thrombolytic | Dissolving or breaking up a thrombus. |
| thrombophilia | A disorder of hemostasis in which there is a tendency for the occurrence of thrombosis. |
| torsades de pointes | A form of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that is characterized by heart rate between 200 and 250 beats per minute, and QRS complexes with changing amplitude and twisting of the points. |
| tourniquet | A band for the compression of a blood vessel, used to stop bleeding or prevent spread of snake venom. |
| toxemia | The presence of bacterial toxins in the blood. Also called blood poisoning. |
| transfusion | The transfer of blood from one person to another. |
| tricuspid valve stenosis | The narrowing of the tricuspid valve opening. Tricuspid valve stenosis is almost always due to rheumatic fever. |
| trigeminy | A heart condition where an EKG can be grouped into three beat patterns. |
| vasoconstriction | Narrowing of blood vessels. |
| vasodilation | Widening of blood vessels. |
| venous thrombosis | The formation or presence of a blood clot within a vein. |
Authors and Reviewers
Authored by Dr. Barbara A. EricksonMedically reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Keroes, MD
Last Update: 12/18/2022
