Cardiovascular Disease Glossary | A | B-C | D-L | M-R | S-V |

ACE (Angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors - A medicine that blocks an enzyme needed to form a substance that narrows blood vessels. The medicine causes the vessels to relax and widen, making it easier for blood to flow through and thereby lowers blood pressure.

Ambulatory monitors - Small portable electrocardiograph machines that are able to record the heart's rhythm. Each type of monitor has unique features related to length of recording time and ability to send the recordings over the phone.

Anemia - A condition characterized by a lack of red blood cells. Anemia reduces the amount of oxygen available to the body.

Aneurysm - A sac formed by the bulging of a blood vessel wall or heart tissue. When aneurysms grow too large, they can burst and cause severe damage or death.

Angina - A common symptom of heart disease that is characterized by chest pain.

Angioplasty - A procedure used to open a partially blocked blood vessels so that blood can flow through it more easily.

Antiarrhythmics - Medications that stop arrythmias.

Antiobiotics - A medication designed to kill bacteria.

Anticoagulant ("blood thinner") - A medication that prevents blood from clotting; used for people at risk for stroke or blood clots.

Antiplatelet agents - A medication that prevents the smallest blood cells (platelets) from sticking together and forming clots.

Arrhythmia - An irregular heart beat.

Artery - Muscular elastic tubes that carry blood away from the heart to the cells, tissues, and organs of the body.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) - Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm in which many impulses begin and spread through the atria. The resulting rhythm is disorganized, rapid and irregular and the atria are not able to fully empty their contents into the ventricles.

Atrium - The top chamber of the heart. There are 2 atria-the left and the right. They are divided by a muscular wall, called the septum. The atrium contracts before the ventricle to allow full filling of the ventricle.

Autoimmune diseases - Types of diseases in which the body's immune system malfunctions and attacks the body's own tissues.

Automated External Defibrillators (AED) - A small device about the size of a laptop computer that provides a brief, but powerful, electrical shock to the heart. The electrical stimulation interrupts ventricular fibrillation and helps to restore the heart's natural rhythm.

Biventricular pacemaker - A small electronic device that is placed under the skin and sends electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate and to prevent slow heart rates. A biventricular pacemaker senses and produces heartbeats in the atrium and ventricle.

Beta-blocker - A medicine used to treat hypertension that decreases the heart rate and the amount of blood the heart pumps with each beat.

Blood pressure - The force of blood against artery walls.

Bruit - The sound of blood flowing through a narrowed portion of an artery. The sound means that the blood flow may be partially blocked.

Calcium channel blocker - A medication that prevents the movement of calcium in the cells of the heart and blood vessels. Calcium channel blockers relax the blood vessels and increase the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart, while reducing the hearts workload.

Cardiac arrest - A condition where the heart stops or becomes ineffective in pumping blood to the organs of the body. As the heart stops or loses its synchronized beating pattern (fibrillation), a patient's breathing may stop completely.

Cardaic catherization - see coronary angiography/arteriography.

Catheter - A tube passed through the body for evacuating fluids or injecting them into body cavities. It may be made of elastic, elastic web, rubber, glass, metal, or plastic.

Cerebral arteriogram - A series of x-rays taken after a special dye is injected into an artery. They dye which flows through the blood vessels of the brain, can be seen on the x-rays and used to evaluate blood flow to the brain.

Cerebral emboli - Cerebral embolism generally refers to a blood clot that forms at another location in the circulatory system, usually the heart and large arteries of the upper chest and neck. A portion of the blood vessel breaks loose, enters the bloodstream and travels through the brain's blood vessels until it reaches vessels too small to let it pass.

Cholesterol - A fat-like substance that helps bodily functions such as building new cells, producing hormones, and digestion.

Congenital heart defects - Heart defects present at birth.

Connective tissue diseases - Disease that impair connective tissue function.

Cordarone - An antiarrhythmic medication.

Coronary angiography/arteriography (also known as cardiac catherization) - A test used to evaluate the coronary vessels of the heart. A special dye (called contrast material) is usually injected into the coronary arteries to trace the movement of blood through the arteries. The portion of the test involving the injection of contrast material and the tracing of blood is called coronary angiography.

Coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis) - A disease characterized by hardening of the arteries.

Coronary bypass surgery - A surgical procedure that bypasses the portion of an artery that it blocked by using a blood vessel taken from elsewhere (usually in the leg or chest). Blood is redirected through the new blood vessel, bypassing the blocked artery and restoring blood flow to the affected portion of the heart.

CT scan (also called a computerized axial tomography (CAT scan) or computer tomography scan) - A special type of x-ray that can produce detailed pictures or structures inside the body.

Deep vein thrombosis - A venous thrombosis is a blood clot in a vein. This condition most often affects the vein in the legs.

Diabetes or diabetes mellitus - A disorder of the metabolism in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin or the body does not respond to the insulin produced.

Diastolic heart failure - A condition where the left ventricle becomes stiff and loses its ability to relax.

Digoxin - A medicine that helps an injured or weakened heart work more efficiently and send blood through the body.

Diuretic - A medicine that lowers blood pressure by helping the body to get rid of excess water and salt.

Echocardiogram (often called "echo") - A graphic outline of the heart's movement. During this test, high-frequency sound waves (called ultrasound) provide pictures of the heart's valves and chambers. This allows the echo technician, called a sonographer, to evaluate the pumping action of the heart.

Edema - Swelling; the accumulation of fluids, usually in the hands, feet, or abdomen.

Electrical cardioversion - A procedure in which a brief electrical shock is given to the heart to reset the heart rhythm back to its normal regular pattern (normal sinus rhythm, or NSR).

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - A test that records the electrical activity of the heart.

Electrolytes - Minerals found naturally in the body which are needed to keep the body's balance of fluids at a healthy level and to maintain normal functions, such as heart rhythm, muscle contraction, and brain function. Electrolytes include potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.

Endocarditis - An infection of the inner lining of the heart or its valves. It is usually caused by bacteria and is more likely to occur in people who have heart valve defects or have had heart surgery to treat valve disease.

Exercise stress test (also called stress test, exercise electrocardiogram, treadmill test, graded exercise test or stress ECG) - determine the amount of stress that your heart can manage before developing either an abnormal rhythm or evidence of ischemia (not enough blood flow to the heart muscle). Exercise stress test tells how your heart responds to exertion.

Heart attack (myocardial infarction) - Permanent damage to the heart muscle, usually caused by a blood clot in the coronary artery and characterized by severe chest pain.

Heart failure (also known as congestive heart failure) - A condition where the heart muscle does not pump efficiently. Fluid accumulates (edema) in the lungs, hands, ankles, or other parts of the body.

Holter monitor - A type of ambulatory monitor.

Homocysteine - Common amino acid (one of the building blocks that make up proteins) found in the blood. High levels of homocysteine are related to the early development of heart and blood vessel disease.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators - A surgically inserted electronic device that constantly monitors heart rate and rhythm. When it detects a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm, it delivers electrical energy to the heart muscle. This causes the heart to beat in a normal rhythm again.

Ischemia - Condition in which there is not enough oxygen-rich blood supplied to the heart muscle to meet the heart's needs.

Lipids - A fat circulating in the blood.

Minimally invasive heart surgery - A surgical procedure in which the surgeon performs the surgery through a small incision (about 3 inches) in the chest. There are two types of minimally invasive heart surgery available. (www.my.webmd.com/content/pages/9/1675_57803.htm)

Mitral valve - The valve that lies between the left atrium and left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart). This valve allows blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle and them prevents the back flow of blood into the left atrium during ventricular contraction.

MRI - A technique that uses large magnets and radio-frequency waves to produce pictures of the body's internal structures. The technique gathers information about the heart as its is beating, creating moving images of the heart throughout its pumping cycle.

Nitroglycerin - Medication used during angina attacks or to prevent angina that opens the arteries to the heart. The opened arteries increase blood flow, relieving angina, and reducing the heart's workload.

Nuclear scan - Nuclear imaging is a method of producing images by detecting radiation from different parts of the body after the administration of a radioactive tracer material.

Obtrusive HCM - A thickened heart muscle that restricts or blocks the flow of blood out of the ventricles.

Pacemaker - A small electronic device that is placed under the skin and sends electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate and to prevent slow heart rates.

Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI's) - Procedures used to open blocked arteries and restore normal blood flow. The common types of PCI are angioplasty, coronary stenting and coronary atherectomy. These procedures can be done separately or in combination.

Physical exam - A procedure in which a doctor examines heart rate, blood pressure, heart beat, the eyes, arms, legs, and skin.

Plaque - Deposits of fats, inflammatory cells, proteins and calcium material along the lining of arteries, caused by atherosclerosis. The plaque builds up and narrows the artery.

Pulmonary edema - An abnormal swelling of tissue in the lungs due to fluid build-up.

Pulmonary embolism - The sudden blockage of an artery in the lungs.

Pulmonary valve - The valve that lies between the right atrium and right ventricle.

Radionuclide studies (Multigated Acquisiton Scan) - A nuclear scan that evaluates the pumping function of the ventricles.

Rheumatic fever - An inflammatory reaction of the heart, usually involving the valves as a consequence of streptococcal infection.

Silent ischemia - Pain-free condition in which there is not enough oxygen-rich blood supplied to the heart muscle to meet the heart's needs.

Stress thallium scan - A thallium or technetium sestamibi scan is a test used to estimate the amount of blood reaching the heart muscle during rest and exercise. It is normally done for people with unexplained chest pain or to determine the location and amount of injured heart muscle after a heart attack.

Stroke - Sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain. It is characterized by loss of muscular control, diminution or loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain.

Systolic heart failure - A condition where the left ventricle loses its ability to contract and can't pump the blood into circulation with enough force.

Sudden cardiac arrest - A condition where the electrical system of the heart short circuits, causing an abnormal rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation.

Sudden cardiac death - A sudden, unexpected loss of heart function. The term "death" is somewhat misleading because some people survive.

Thyroid disease - The thyroid is a gland located beneath the voice box in the throat that produces thyroid hormone. The thyroid helps regulate growth and metabolism (the way your body burns up the calories you eat). Thyroid disease is any condition affecting the function of the thyroid gland.

Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) - A medication that dissolves blood clots.

Transesophogeal Echocardiogram (TEE) - An invasive imaging procedure that creates a picture of the heart's movement, valves and chambers using high frequency sound waves that come from a small transducer passed down the throat.

Transtelephonic monitor - A type of ambulatory monitor.

Transtelephonic monitor with memory loop - A type of ambulatory monitor.

Trauma - A physical injury or wound caused by external force or violence.

Tricuspid valve - The valve that separates the right atrium from the right ventricle and prevents blood from flowing back into the right atrium during contraction of the ventricle.

Triglycerides - A fat found in the blood. Most fat found in the diet and body is in the form of triglycerides.

Ventricle - The lower, pumping chambers of the heart. The heart has 2 ventricles-the right and the left.

Ventricular fibrillation - A heart rhythm disorder that starts in the ventricles. It is characterized by an abnormally rapid heart rhythm that is unstable and irregular. During VF, electrical signals are moving chaotically through the heart, preventing it from beating properly. This often results in fainting. If left untreated, it may result in cardiac arrest.