Medical Terminology Word List 8 Cardiovascular System

Front 1

aorta

Back 1

the large arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body

Front 2

arteriole

Back 2

any of the small terminal twigs of an artery that ends in capillaries

Front 3

artery

Back 3

any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body

Front 4

atrium

Back 4

an anatomical cavity or passage; especially : a chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle or ventricles

Front 5

atrioventricular node

Back 5

a small mass of tissue that is situated in the wall of the right atrium adjacent to the septum between the atria, passes impulses received from the sinoatrial node to the ventricles by way of the bundle of His, and in some pathological states replaces the sinoatrial node as pacemaker of the heart

Front 6

sinoatrial node

Back 6

a small mass of tissue that is made up of Purkinje fibers, ganglion cells, and nerve fibers, that is embedded in the musculature of the right atrium of higher vertebrates, and that originates the impulses stimulating the heartbeat -- called also S-A node, sinus node

Front 7

endocardium

Back 7

a thin serous membrane lining the cavities of the heart

Front 8

epocardium

Back 8

the visceral part of the pericardium that closely envelops the heart -- called also visceral pericardium

Front 9

myocardium

Back 9

the middle muscular layer of the heart wall

Front 10

pericardial sac

Back 10

the conical sac of serous membrane that encloses the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels of vertebrates and consists of an outer fibrous coat that loosely invests the heart and is prolonged on the outer surface of the great vessels except the inferior vena cava and a double inner serous coat of which one layer is closely adherent to the heart while the other lines the inner surface of the outer coat with the intervening space being filled with pericardial fluid

Front 11

bicuspid/ mitral valve

Back 11

a valve in the heart that guards the opening between the left atrium and the left ventricle, prevents the blood in the ventricle from returning to the atrium, and consists of two triangular flaps attached at their bases to the fibrous ring which surrounds the opening and connected at their margins with the ventricular walls by the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles

Front 12

tricuspid valve

Back 12

a valve that is situated at the opening of the right atrium of the heart into the right ventricle and that resembles the mitral valve in structure but consists of three triangular membranous flaps -- called also right atrioventricular valve

Front 13

diastole

Back 13

: the passive rhythmical expansion or dilation of the cavities of the heart during which they fill with blood

Front 14

systole

Back 14

the contraction of the heart by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up

Front 15

vein

Back 15

any of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the capillaries toward the heart and have thinner walls than the arteries and often valves at intervals to prevent reflux of the blood which flows in a steady stream and is in most cases dark-colored due to the presence of reduced hemoglobin

Front 16

venule

Back 16

a small vein; especially : any of the minute veins connecting the capillaries with the larger systemic veins

Front 17

ventricle

Back 17

a cavity of a bodily part or organ: as a : a chamber of the heart which receives blood from a corresponding atrium and from which blood is forced into the arteries b : one of the system of communicating cavities in the brain that are continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord, that like it are derived from the medullary canal of the embryo, that are lined with an epithelial ependyma, and that contain a serous fluid

Front 18

bundle of HIS

Back 18

a slender bundle of modified cardiac muscle that passes from the atrioventricular node in the right atrium to the right and left ventricles by way of the septum and that maintains the normal sequence of the heartbeat by conducting the wave of excitation from the right atrium to the ventricles

Front 19

capillaries

Back 19

any of the smallest blood vessels connecting arterioles with venules and forming networks throughout the body

Front 20

angina pectoris

Back 20

any of the smallest blood vessels connecting arterioles with venules and forming networks throughout the body

Front 21

ar·rhyth·mia

Back 21

an alteration in rhythm of the heartbeat either in time or force

Front 22

bradycardia

Back 22

relatively slow heart action whether physiological or pathological

Front 23

dysrythmia

Back 23

an abnormal rhythm; especially : a disordered rhythm exhibited in a record of electrical activity of the brain or heart

Front 24

palpitation

Back 24

a rapid pulsation; especially : an abnormally rapid beating of the heart when excited by violent exertion, strong emotion, or disease

Front 25

tachycardia

Back 25

relatively rapid heart action whether physiological (as after exercise) or pathological

Front 26

aneurism

Back 26

an abnormal blood-filled dilatation of a blood vessel and especially an artery resulting from disease of the vessel wall

Front 27

arteriosclerosis

Back 27

: a chronic disease characterized by abnormal thickening and hardening of the arterial walls with resulting loss of elasticity

Front 28

atherosclerosis

Back 28

an arteriosclerosis characterized by atheromatous deposits in and fibrosis of the inner layer of the arteries

Front 29

cardiomyopathy

Back 29

any structural or functional disease of heart muscle that is marked especially by hypertrophy of cardiac muscle, by enlargement of the heart, by rigidity and loss of flexibility of the heart walls, or by narrowing of the ventricles but is not due to a congenital developmental defect, to coronary atherosclerosis, to valve dysfunction, or to hypertension

Front 30

claudication

Back 30

cramping pain and weakness in the legs and especially the calves on walking that disappears after rest and is usually associated with inadequate blood supply to the muscles

Front 31

congestive heart failure

Back 31

heart failure in which the heart is unable to maintain adequate circulation of blood in the tissues of the body or to pump out the venous blood returned to it by the venous circulation

Front 32

an abnormal particle (as an air bubble) circulating in the blood

Back 32

the sudden obstruction of a blood vessel by an embolus

Front 33

endocarditis

Back 33

inflammation of the lining of the heart and its valves

Front 34

fibrilation

Back 34

an act or process of forming fibers or fibrils
2 a : a muscular twitching involving individual muscle fibers acting without coordination b : very rapid irregular contractions of the muscle fibers of the heart resulting in a lack of synchronism between heartbeat and pulse

Front 35

flutter

Back 35

: an abnormal rapid spasmodic and usually rhythmic motion or contraction of a body part

Front 36

murmur

Back 36

an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality

Front 37

hypertension

Back 37

abnormally high arterial blood pressure that is usually indicated by an adult systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or greater or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or greater, is chiefly of unknown cause but may be attributable to a preexisting condition (as a renal or endocrine disorder), that typically results in a thickening and inelasticity of arterial walls and hypertrophy of the left heart ventricle, and that is a risk factor for various pathological conditions or events (as heart attack, heart failure, stroke, end-stage renal disease, or retinal hemorrhage

Front 38

ischemia

Back 38

deficient supply of blood to a body part (as the heart or brain) that is due to obstruction of the inflow of arterial blood (as by the narrowing of arteries by spasm or disease)

Front 39

myocardial infarction

Back 39

heart attack

Front 40

myocarditis

Back 40

inflammation of the myocardium

Front 41

pa·tent ductus arteriosus

Back 41

an abnormal condition in which the ductus arteriosus fails to close after birth

Front 42

pericarditis

Back 42

inflammation of the pericardium

Front 43

phlebitis

Back 43

inflammation of a vein

Front 44

te·tral·o·gy of Fal·lot

Back 44

a congenital abnormality of the heart characterized by pulmonary stenosis, an opening in the interventricular septum, malposition of the aorta over both ventricles, and hypertrophy of the right ventricle
Fal·lot /f-l/ , Étienne-Louis-Arthur (1850-1911), French physician. Fallot published in 1888 an article on cardiac anomalies in which he described the form of congenital heart disease producing cyanosis that now bears his name. His description was not the first but an improvement that analyzed and correlated the clinical with postmortem observations and gave all four of the identifying characteristics

Front 45

thrombosus

Back 45

the formation or presence of a blood clot within a blood vessel

Front 46

var·i·co·sis

Back 46

abnormally swollen or dilated veins

Front 47

ventricular septal defect

Back 47

a congenital defect in the interventricular septum

Front 48

angioplasty

Back 48

surgical repair or recanalization of a blood vessel

Front 49

aus·cul·ta·tion

Back 49

the act of listening to sounds arising within organs (as the lungs or heart) as an aid to diagnosis and treatment

Front 50

coronary angiogram

Back 50

the radiographic visualization of the blood vessels of the heart after injection of a radiopaque substance

Front 51

coronary artery bypass graft

Back 51

.

Front 52

de·fi·bril·la·tion

Back 52

restoration (as by an electric shock) of the rhythm of a fibrillating heart

Front 53

elec·tro·car·dio·gram

Back 53

the tracing made by an electrocardiograph ; also : the procedure for producing an electrocardiogram

Front 54

sphyg·mo·ma·nom·e·ter

Back 54

an instrument for measuring blood pressure and especially arterial blood pressure

Front 55

thrombolytic therapy

Back 55

.

Front 56

valvuloplasty

Back 56

plastic surgery performed on a heart valve

Front 57

bruit

Back 57

any of several generally abnormal sounds heard on auscultation

Front 58

stenosis

Back 58

a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice

Front 59

constriction

Back 59

1 : an act or product of constricting
2 : the quality or state of being constricted
3 : something that constricts

Front 60

occlusion

Back 60

1 : the act of occluding or the state of being occluded : a shutting off or obstruction of something <a coronary occlusion>; especially : a blocking of the central passage of one reflex by the passage of another
2 a : the bringing of the opposing surfaces of the teeth of the two jaws into contact; also : the relation between the surfaces when in contact b : the transient approximation of the edges of a natural opening

Front 61

veg·e·ta·tion

Back 61

an abnormal outgrowth upon a body part; specifically : any of the warty excrescences on the valves of the heart that are composed of various tissue elements including fibrin and collagen and that are typical of endocarditis

Front 62

nor·mo·ten·sion

Back 62

normal blood pressure

Front 63

normal sinus rythm

Back 63

.

Front 64

mitral vavle prolapse

Back 64

the falling down or slipping of the mitral valve from its usual position or relations

Front 65

throm·bo·phle·bi·tis

Back 65

inflammation of a vein with formation of a thrombus

Front 66

* percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

Back 66

percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of a coronary artery -- called also PTCA