Cardiac 2

Front 1

couplet

Back 1

Two premature ventricular contractions occurring sequentially.

Front 2

coronary artery disease (CAD)

Back 2

A pathologic process caused by autherosclerosis that leads to progressive narrowing and eventual obstruction of the coronary arteries.

Front 3

coronary sinus

Back 3

A large vessel in the posterior part ofthe coronarhy sulcus into which the coronary veins empty.

Front 4

defibrillation

Back 4

The use of an unsynchronized direct current (DC) electric shock to terminate ventricular fibrillation.

Front 5

delta wave

Back 5

The slurring of the upstroke of the first part off the QRS complex that occurs in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Front 6

depolarization

Back 6

The process of discharging resting cardiac muscle fibers by an electric impulse that causes them to contract.

Front 7

digitalis preparations

Back 7

The drugs used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and certain atrial arrhythmias.

Front 8

dissection

Back 8

In references to blood vessels, an aneurysm, or bulge, formed by the separation of the layers of an arterial wall.

Front 9

dromotropic effect

Back 9

The effect on the velocity of conduction.

Front 10

electrical conduction system

Back 10

In the heart, the specialized cardiac tissue that initiates and conducts electric impulses. The system includes the SA node, internodal atrial conduction pathways, atrioventricular junction, atrioventricular node, bundle of His, and the Purkinje network.

Front 11

endocardium

Back 11

The thin membrane lining the inside of the heart.

Front 12

epicardium

Back 12

The thin membrane lining the outside of the heart.

Front 13

fibrinolytic therapy

Back 13

The therapy that uses medications that act to dissolve blood clots.

Front 14

first-degree heart block

Back 14

A partial disruption of the conduction of the depolarizing impulse from the atria to the ventricles, causing polongation of the P-R interval.

Front 15

hyperkalemia

Back 15

An exessive amount of potassium in the blood.

Front 16

hypertension

Back 16

High blood pressure, usually a diastolic pressure greater than 90 MM Hg.

Front 17

hypokalemia

Back 17

An abnormally low concentration of potassium in the blood.

Front 18

infarction

Back 18

Death (necrosis) of a localized area of tissue caused by the cutting off its blood supply.

Front 19

internodal pathways

Back 19

The three pathways of the electrical conduction system found in the atria that transmit the impulse from the SA node to the AV node.

Front 20

interventricular septum

Back 20

A thick wall that separates the right and left ventricles.

Front 21

ischemia

Back 21

Tissue anoxia from diminished blood flow to tissue, usually caused by narrowing or occlusion of the artery.

Front 22

isoelectric

Back 22

When referring to a wave, the wave is neither positive nor negative.

Front 23

isoelectric line

Back 23

The baseline of the ECG.

Front 24

junctional rhythm

Back 24

An arrhythmia arising from ectopic foci in the area of the atrioventricular junction; often shows an absence of the P-wave, a short P-R interval, or a P wave appearing after the QRS complex.

Front 25

lead

Back 25

Any one of the conductors, composed of two or more electrodes, in the ECG that shows the electrical conduction in the heart.

Front 26

left atrium

Back 26

The upper left chamber of the heart; receives blood from the pulmonary veins.

Front 27

left ventricle

Back 27

The thick-walled, muscular, lower left chamber of the heart; receives blood from the left atrium and pumps it out through the aorta into the systemic arteries.

Front 28

limb leads

Back 28

The ECG leads attached to the limbs and that form the hexaxial system, dividing the heart along a coronal plane into the anterior and posterior segments.

Front 29

lumen

Back 29

The inside diameter of an artery or other hollow structure.

Front 30

mitral valve

Back 30

The valve located between the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart.

Front 31

monomorophic

Back 31

Having one common shape of QRS complex.

Front 32

multifocal

Back 32

Arising from or pertaining to many foci or locations.

Front 33

myocardium

Back 33

The cardiac muscle.

Front 34

necroysis

Back 34

The death of a tissue, usually caused by a cessation of its blood supply.

Front 35

norepinephrine

Back 35

A neurotransmitter and drug sometimes used in the treatment of shock; produces vasoconstriction through its alpha stimulator properties.

Front 36

normal sinus rhythm

Back 36

The normal rhythm of the heart, wherein the exictation iimpulse arises in the SA node, travels through the internodal pathways to the atrioventricular junction, down the bundle of His, through the bundle branches, and into the Purkinje network without interference.

Front 37

orthopnea

Back 37

Severe dyspnea experienced when lying down and relieved by sitting up.

Front 38

orthastatic hypotension

Back 38

A fall in blood pressure when changing to an erect position.

Front 39

P wave

Back 39

The first wave of the ECG complex, representing depoplarization of the atria.

Front 40

palpitations

Back 40

A sensation felt under the left breast of the heart "skipping a beat", usually caused by a premature ventricular contraction.

Front 41

papillary muscles

Back 41

Protrusions of the myocardium into the ventricular cavities to which the chordae tendineae are attached.

Front 42

paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND)

Back 42

Severe shortness of breath occurring at night after several hours of recumbency, during which fluid pools in the lungs; the person is forced to sit up and breathe. PND is caused by left heart failure or decompensation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Front 43

pericardium

Back 43

The double- layered sac containing the heart and origins of the superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, and pulmonary artery.

Front 44

phlebitis

Back 44

Inflammation of the wall of a vein, sometimes caused by an IV line, manifested by tenderness, redness and slight edema along part of the length of the vein.

Front 45

phlebotomy

Back 45

The withdrawal of blood from a vein.

Front 46

plaque

Back 46

In cardiology, the white to yellow lesion found in atherosclerosis that is made up of lipids, cell debris, and smooth muscles cells;in older people, may also include calcium.

Front 47

plasmin

Back 47

A naturally occurring clot-dissolving enzyme, usually present in the body in its inactive form, plasminogen.

Front 48

point of maximal impulse (PMI)

Back 48

The palpable beat of the apex of hte heart against the chest wall during ventricular contraction; normally palpated in the fifth left intercostal space in the midclavicular line.

Front 49

precordial leads

Back 49

Another term used to describe the chest leads in an ECG.

Front 50

preload

Back 50

The pressure under which the ventricle fills.

Front 51

pulmonary veins

Back 51

The vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium.

Front 52

pulmonic valve

Back 52

The valve between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery.

Front 53

pulsus paradoxus

Back 53

A weakening or loss of a palpable pulse during inhalation, characteristic of cardiac tamponade and severe asthma.

Front 54

Purkinje fibers

Back 54

A system of fibers in the ventricles that conducts the exictation impulse from the bundle branches to the myocardium.

Front 55

P-R interval

Back 55

The period between the beginning of the P wave (atrial depolarization) and the onset of the QRS complex and the onset of the next QRS complex.

Front 56

recanalization

Back 56

The opening up of new channels through a blocked artery.

Front 57

receptors

Back 57

Specialized areas in tissues that initiate certain actions after specific stimulation.

Front 58

refactory period

Back 58

A short period immediately after depolarization in which the myocytes are not yet repolarized and are unable to fire or conduct an impulse.

Front 59

reperfusion

Back 59

The resumption of blood flow through an artery.

Front 60

retrosternal

Back 60

Situated or occurring behind the sternum.

Front 61

right atrium

Back 61

The upper right chamber of the heart; receives blood from the venae cavae and supplies blood to the right ventricle.

Front 62

right ventricle

Back 62

The lower right chamber of the heart; receives blood from the right atrium and pumps blood out through the pulmonic valve into the pulmonary artery.

Front 63

ST segment

Back 63

The interval between the end of the QRS complex and the beginning of the T wave; often elevated or depressed with respect to the isoelectric line when there is significant myocardial ischemia.

Front 64

semilunar valves

Back 64

The two valves, the aortic and pulmonic, that divide the heart from the aorta and pulmonary arteries.

Front 65

sinoatrial (SA) node

Back 65

The dominant pacemaker of the heart, located at the junction of the superior vena cava and the right atrium.

Front 66

sinus arrhythmia

Back 66

A slight irregularity of the heart rate caused by changes in parasympathetic tone during breathing.

Front 67

sinus bradycardia

Back 67

A sinus rhythm with heart rate less than 60 beats/min.

Front 68

sinus tachycardia

Back 68

A sinus rhythm with a heart rate greater than 100 beats/min.

Front 69

stable angina

Back 69

Angina pectoris characterized by periodic pain with a predictable pattern.

Front 70

stroke volume (SV)

Back 70

The volume of blood pumped forward with each ventricular contraction.

Front 71

systemic circulation

Back 71

The flow of blood from the left ventricle through the aorta, to all of its branches and capillaries in the tissues, and back to the right atrium through the venules, veins, and venae cavae;also called the greater circulation.

Front 72

T waves

Back 72

The upright, flat, or inverted wave following the QRS complex of the ECG, representing ventricular repolarization.

Front 73

tricuspid valve

Back 73

The valve between the right atrium and right ventricle of the heart.

Front 74

trigeminy

Back 74

A premature complex in every third heartbeat.

Front 75

tunica adventitia

Back 75

the outer layer of tissue of a blood vessel wall composed of elastic and fibrous connective tissue.

Front 76

tunica intima

Back 76

The smooth, thin, inner lining of a blood vessel.

Front 77

tunica media

Back 77

The middle and thickest layer of tissue of a blood vessel wall, composed of elastic tissue and smooth muscle cells that allow the vessel to expand or contract in response to changes in blood pressure and tissue demand.

Front 78

U wave

Back 78

A small flat wave sometimes seen after the T wave and before the next P wave.

Front 79

unstable angina

Back 79

Angina pectoris characterized by a changing, unpredictable pattern of pain, which may signal an impending acute myocardial infarction.

Front 80

vagus nerve

Back 80

The 10th cranial nerve, the chief mediator of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Front 81

Valsalva maneuver

Back 81

Forced exhalation against a closed glottis, the effect of which is to stimulate the vagus nerve and, thereby, slow the heart rate.

Front 82

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome

Back 82

A syndrome characterized by short P-R intervals, delta waves, nonspecific ST-T wave changes, and paroxysmal episodes of tachycardia caused by the presence of an accessory pathway.