ANHS Chapter 6 Vocab

Cardiac output

Volume of blood the heart pumps each minute

Congestive heart failure

Failure of the heart to pump an adequate amount of blood to the body tissues.

Stroke volume

The volume of blood ejected by one or both ventricles with each contraction

Sinus bradycardia

A slow heart rate, usually less than 60 bpm. Atrial and ventricular rates are still the same

Palpitations

Rapid irregular heartbeat sensation felt by the patient, which may or may not be associated with complaints of chest pain

Sinus tachycardia

A fast heart rate, usually greater than 100bpm

Vagal tone

A constant tension on the vagus nerve causes variation the heart to beat more slowly

Sinus dysrhythmia

Irregular rhythm caused by pressure on the heart from the respiratory cycle and variations of vagal tone

Asystole

A condition in which no rhythm or electrical current is traveling through the cardiac conduction system

Hypotension

A lower than normal blood pressure that can cause a reduction of blood flow to vital organs

Ischemia

A sudden loss or reduction in blood supply (oxygen) to a region of the heart tissue.

Syncope

Loss of consciousness (fainting)

Sinus arrest

SA node stops firing, causing a pause in electrical activity. During this pause, atrial and ventricular contractions don't occur

Sinus exit block

Condition in which the SA node initiates an electrical impulse, but the impulse is blocked and not conducted to the atria.