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12.9: Key Terms

  • Page ID
    111299
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    abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
    aorta in the abdomen is clogged with plaque, so it balloons out in an attempt to keep the blood flowing
    ablation
    procedure that creates scars in the heart tissue that block the abnormal electrical impulses to help the heart maintain a normal rhythm
    acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
    umbrella term that includes the following: non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), and unstable angina
    afterload
    amount of pressure the heart needs to exert during ventricular contraction
    aneurysm
    enlargement of an artery, due to weakened wall from high velocity flows of blood
    angina
    chest pain or discomfort that occurs when blood flow to the heart is reduced
    angiography
    procedure in which a catheter is threaded into the femoral artery and fluoroscopy dye is injected into the patient’s coronaries to assess the presence of coronary blockages
    arteriosclerosis
    widespread hardening of the arteries
    asystole
    cardiac activity ceases to occur due to termination of electrical conduction
    atherosclerosis
    form of arteriosclerosis in which there is narrowing and reduced blood flow through the arterial wall due to plaque formations
    atrial depolarization
    interval between the P wave and the R wave in the QRS complex; measurement of the time needed for electricity to travel from the atria to the ventricles
    atrial fibrillation (AFib)
    irregular, fast cardiac rhythm originating from the atria with multiple impulses being fired
    atrial flutter (A flutter)
    atrial dysrhythmia that has a regular but tachycardic rhythm caused by electrical re-entry in the right atrial circuity; classic “saw tooth pattern”
    bruit
    “swooshing” sound
    cardiac output
    number of liters of blood that exit the aorta in a minute
    cardiomegaly
    ventricular enlargement to accommodate excess fluid
    cardioversion
    procedure performed by a machine or medicine that restores a normal heart rhythm when the heart is beating too fast or irregularly
    carotid artery disease
    condition that occurs when the carotid arteries become narrowed or blocked by the presence of plaque; also known as carotid artery stenosis
    congestive heart failure (CHF)
    chronic condition that reduces perfusion to the body because the heart works inefficiently; commonly called heart failure (HF)
    coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
    surgical procedure in which veins from other parts of the body are placed over diseased coronaries to restore blood flow
    creatine kinase MB (CK-MB)
    enzyme that is leaked during a myocardial infarction and is a blood test used in the diagnosis of a myocardial infarction
    diaphoresis
    excessive sweating
    dyspnea
    difficulty breathing
    echocardiogram
    digital image that offers visualization of valve competency, filling pressures, measurements of ventricular thickness, and compliance of the ventricles
    ectopic beat
    occasional, singular, irregular beat that may originate from the atria or the ventricles
    ejection fraction
    measure of ventricular compliance, expressed as a fraction
    first-degree heart block
    cardiac rhythm in which the PR interval is consistently greater than 0.20 seconds while QRS is normal and regular
    hepatosplenomegaly
    liver and spleen enlargement from excess fluid
    hypertensive urgency
    when a patient has a blood pressure over 160/90 mm Hg and has symptoms of headache, shortness of breath, blurred vision, or chest pain
    infarction
    death of tissue due to a lack of perfusion
    intermittent claudication
    leg pain during ambulation caused by a perfusion defect due to narrow, constricted arteries
    ischemia
    temporary blockage of blood through an artery due to blockage
    left ventricular hypertrophy
    compensatory thickening of the ventricle due to increased myocardial stress and increased pressure
    left-sided heart failure
    left ventricle muscle is damaged and weak and can no longer pump enough blood through the body
    malignant hypertension
    the same features as hypertensive urgency, but with signs of target organ disease, such as kidney failure or heart failure
    Mobitz I second-degree heart block
    cardiac rhythm in which the PR interval gets longer with each beat until a QRS is dropped, and the pattern repeats
    Mobitz II second-degree heart block
    heart rhythm in which the PR interval remains constant, but some of the QRSs are randomly dropped
    normal sinus rhythm
    cardiac rhythm originating from the sinus node that describes the characteristic rhythm in the healthy human heart
    orthopnea
    difficulty breathing while lying flat
    pacemaker
    electrical device surgically implanted to regulate an abnormal heartbeat
    peripheral arterial disease
    compromised blood flow of the arterial system
    peripheral vascular disease (PVD)
    chronic, progressive disorder that causes blood vessels, both venous and arterial, outside of the heart and brain to narrow, block, or spasm
    peripheral venous disease
    compromised blood flow of the venous system
    preload
    initial stretch of the cardiac cells prior to contraction
    premature atrial contraction (PAC)
    ectopic beat originating from the atrium that causes an early, irregular occurrence of P and QRS waves
    premature ventricular contraction (PVC)
    ectopic beat originating from the ventricle that causes an early, irregular occurrence of a wide QRS wave
    primary hypertension
    hypertension that is multi-factorial and does not have one distinct cause; also called essential hypertension
    right-sided heart failure
    increased fluid pushes fluid back into the pulmonary system, and congests the right side of the heart, causing the right ventricle to fail
    secondary hypertension
    hypertension caused by another medical condition, such as thyroid issues or adrenal or kidney disease
    sinus bradycardia
    cardiac rhythm with a rate less than 60 bpm, with regular PR and QRS intervals
    sinus tachycardia
    cardiac rhythm with a rate greater than 100 bpm, with regular PR and QRS intervals
    stroke volume
    amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle during systolic contraction
    supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
    umbrella term utilized to discuss rhythm disturbances that occur above the ventricles
    third-degree heart block
    loss of electrical impulses between the atria and the ventricles
    transcutaneous pacing
    noninvasive procedure that uses electrical impulses to temporarily pace a patient’s heart
    troponins
    proteins that leak during a myocardial infarction, can be measured from a blood test
    varicose veins
    due to venous insufficiency, veins may “pop” out more and can be painful
    venous stasis ulcer
    ulcer that can form due to venous insufficiency
    ventricular depolarization
    measurement of time electricity travels through the ventricles to conduct a ventricular contraction and is represented by the QRS complex
    ventricular fibrillation
    potentially life-threatening cardiac rhythm in which the ventricle beats rapidly at over 200 bpm; chaotic with no discernible QRS, PRs, or P waves
    ventricular tachycardia
    potentially life-threatening cardiac rhythm in which the ventricle beats rapidly at 150 to 200 bpm, with wide QRS complexes and no discernible PRs or P waves

    This page titled 12.9: Key Terms is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax.

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