Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
41 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
A term used to describe a group of symptoms caused by myocardial ischemia; includes angina and myocardial infarction.
|
acute coronary syndrome
|
|
|
A heart attack; death of heart muscle following obstruction of blood flow to it. Acute in this context means "new" or "happening right now."
|
acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
|
|
|
Transient (short-lived) chest discomfort caused by partial or temporary blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle.
|
angina pectoris
|
|
|
The front surface of the body; the side facing you in the standard anatomic position.
|
anterior
|
|
|
The main artery that receives blood from the left ventricle and delivers it to all the other arteries that carry blood to the tissues of the body.
|
aorta
|
|
|
A weakness in the wall of the aorta that makes it susceptible to rupture.
|
aortic aneurysm
|
|
|
The one-way valve that lies between the left ventricle and the aorta and keeps blood from flowing back into the left ventricle after the left ventricle ejects its blood into the aorta; one of four heart valves.
|
aortic valve
|
|
|
An irregular or abnormal heart rhythm.
|
arrhythmia
|
|
|
The complete absence of any electrical cardiac activity, appearing as a straight or almost straight line on an ECG strip.
|
asystole
|
|
|
A disorder in which cholesterol and calcium build up inside the walls of the blood vessels, forming plaque, which eventually leads to partial or complete blockage of blood flow.
|
atherosclerosis
|
|
|
One of two (right and left) upper chambers of the heart. The right atrium receives blood from the vena cava and delivers it to the right ventricle. The left atrium receives blood from pulmonary veins and delivers it to the left ventricle.
|
atrium
|
|
|
The ability of cardiac muscle cells to contract without stimulation from the nervous system.
|
automaticity
|
|
|
The part of the nervous system that regulates involuntary functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and sweating.
|
autonomic nervous system
|
|
|
A slow heart rate, less than 60 beats/min.
|
bradycardia
|
|
|
A state in which the heart fails to generate effective and detectable blood flow; pulses are not palpable in cardiac arrest, even if muscular and electrical activity continues in the heart.
|
cardiac arrest
|
|
|
A measure of the volume of blood circulated by the heart in 1 minute, calculated by multiplying the stroke volume by the heart rate.
|
cardiac output
|
|
|
A state in which not enough oxygen is delivered to the tissues of the body, caused by low output of blood from the heart. It can be a severe complication of a large acute myocardial infarction, as well as other conditions.
|
cardiogenic shock
|
|
|
A disorder in which the heart loses part of its ability to effectively pump blood, usually as a result of damage to the heart muscle and usually resulting in a backup of fluid into the lungs.
|
congestive heart failure (CHF)
|
|
|
The blood vessels that carry blood and nutrients to the heart muscle.
|
coronary arteries
|
|
|
To shock a fibrillating (chaotically beating) heart with specialized electrical current in an attempt to restore a normal, rhythmic beat.
|
defibrillate
|
|
|
Swelling in the part of the body closest to the ground, caused by collection of fluid in the tissues; a possible sign of congestive heart failure.
|
dependent edema
|
|
|
Widening of a tubular structure such as a coronary artery.
|
dilation
|
|
|
A condition in which the inner layers of an artery, such as the aorta, become separated, allowing blood (at high pressures) to flow between the layers
|
dissecting aneurysm
|
|
|
An emergency situation created by excessively high blood pressure, which can lead to serious complications such as stroke or aneurysm.
|
hypertensive emergency
|
|
|
Death of a body tissue, usually caused by interruption of its blood supply.
|
infarction
|
|
|
The part of the body or any body part nearer to the feet.
|
inferior
|
|
|
A lack of oxygen that deprives tissues of necessary nutrients, resulting from partial or complete blockage of blood flow; potentially reversible because permanent injury has not yet occurred.
|
ischemia
|
|
|
The inside diameter of an artery or other hollow structure.
|
lumen
|
|
|
The heart muscle.
|
myocardium
|
|
|
A blockage, usually of a tubular structure such as a blood vessel.
|
occlusion
|
|
|
A subdivision of the autonomic nervous system, involved in control of involuntary, vegetative functions, mediated largely by the vagus nerve through the chemical acetylcholine
|
parasympathetic nervous system
|
|
|
Circulation of blood within an organ or tissue in adequate amounts to meet current needs of the cells.
|
perfusion
|
|
|
In anatomy, the back surface of the body; the side away from you in the standard anatomic position.
|
posterior
|
|
|
The part of the body or any body part nearer to the head.
|
superior
|
|
|
The part of the autonomic nervous system that controls active functions such as responding to fear (also known as the "fight-or-flight" system).
|
sympathetic nervous system
|
|
|
A fainting spell or transient loss of consciousness, often caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain.
|
syncope
|
|
|
A rapid heart rate, more than 100 beats/min.
|
tachycardia
|
|
|
A blood clot that has formed within a blood vessel and is floating within the bloodstream.
|
thromboembolism
|
|
|
One of two (right and left) lower chambers of the heart. The left ventricle receives blood from the left atrium (upper chamber) and delivers blood to the aorta. The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it into the pulmonary artery.
|
ventricle
|
|
|
Disorganized, ineffective twitching of the ventricles, resulting in no blood flow and a state of cardiac arrest.
|
ventricular fibrillation
|
|
|
A rapid heart rhythm in which the electrical impulse begins in the ventricle (instead of the atrium), which may result in inadequate blood flow and eventually deteriorate into cardiac arrest.
|
ventricular tachycardia
|
