AAPC Fundamentals of Medicine (Ch. 07)

Cardio

angi/o

vessel

aort/o

aorta

arter/o

artery

arteri/o

artery

arteriol/o

arteriole

atri/o

atrium

cardi/o

heart

end/o

in, within

my/o

muscle

phleb/o

vein

valv/o

valve

valvul/o

valve

vas/o

vessel

vascul/o

duct

ven/o

vein

ven/i

vein

ventricul/o

cavity, ventricle

-ectomy

surgical removal

-otomy

surgical opening

peri-

around

-plegia

paralysis

Heart

first organ to develop in an embryo

Heart

larger than a human fist, weighs less than 1 lb

Heart

located in the mediastinum, between the lungs and behind the sternum

Heart

bottom portion comes to a blunt point (apex) which points towards left hip

Epicardium

outer layer of the heart

Myocardium

main muscle of the heart; allows electrical impulses to pass quickly across muscle fibers; consists of striated muscle that can contract independently

Endocardium

inner lining of the heart

Pericardial sac (pericardium)

double-walled sac enclosing the heart

Fibrous pericardium

outer tough connective tissue layer of pericardium

Serous pericardium

inner layer of pericardium with two parts: parietal and visceral

Parietal pericardium

outer lining of the serous pericardium

Visceral pericardium

inner lining of the serous pericardium (also called epicardium)

Pericardial fluid

lubricates the heart’s surface and facilitates movement during pumping; normally 10–30 mL, can increase to 300 mL

Congestive heart failure (CHF)

common chronic condition in older adults caused by injury or increased demands on the heart

Left-sided CHF

blood backs up into left atrium and lungs; leads to pulmonary edema, SOB, and dyspnea

Systolic heart failure

LV cannot contract hard enough; reduced oxygen-rich blood to body

Diastolic heart failure

LV becomes stiff, can't fill completely; less blood pumped

Right-sided CHF

RV cannot pump blood to lungs properly; causes systemic edema in abdomen, liver, and legs

Pericarditis

inflammation of the pericardial sac, causing friction due to low fluid; can follow MI or viral infection

Pericardial effusion

excessive fluid build-up in pericardial sac; may lead to cardiac tamponade

Cardiac tamponade

compression of heart due to fluid accumulation; requires pericardiocentesis

Pericardial window

surgical opening to drain fluid from pericardial sac into chest cavity

Pericardial metastasis

spread of cancer (from lung, breast, lymphoma, melanoma) to pericardium; rare, poor prognosis

Endocarditis

inflammation of endocardium (heart lining and valves), usually from infection

Hypercholesterolemia

high cholesterol levels in blood; major risk factor for atherosclerosis

Heart chambers

divided into left and right by septum, each side has atrium (superior) and ventricle (inferior)

Left atrium

receives oxygen-rich blood from pulmonary veins

Right atrium

receives oxygen-poor blood from vena cava

Left ventricle

most muscular chamber; pumps oxygen-rich blood to body

Right ventricle

pumps oxygen-poor blood to lungs

Atrioventricular valves

allow flow from atria to ventricles; prevent backflow

Tricuspid valve

right AV valve; has three cusps

Bicuspid/Mitral valve

left AV valve; has two cusps

Semilunar valves

pulmonary and aortic valves; open during systole, close during diastole

Pulmonary valve

between RV and pulmonary artery

Aortic valve

between LV and aorta

Annulus

fibrous ring that supports valve cusps

Annuloplasty

surgical repair of valve annulus

Chordae tendineae

tendons connecting valves to papillary muscles; prevent valve prolapse

Heart sounds

lub-dub caused by valve closures

Lub (S1)

tricuspid and mitral valve closure

Dub (S2)

aortic and pulmonary valve closure

Valvular stenosis

narrowing of valve opening, making heart work harder

Valvular prolapse

floppy valve flaps balloon backward, mostly mitral valve

Valvular regurgitation

backflow of blood due to improper valve closure; can be from prolapse, disease, or defect

systolic

pressure in arteries during contraction (squeezing to pump blood out)

diastolic

pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxing between beats

normotension

120/80

hypertension 1

130/80

hypertension 2

140/90

hypertensive crisis

180/120

hypertensive renal disease

prolonged high blood pressure damages tubules that filter fluids to make urine

hypertensive heart disease

LV muscle thickens over time to push against high pressure, often leads to CHF

coronary arteries

originate from aortic sinuses, supply oxygen and nutrients to cardiac muscle

left coronary artery

branches into LAD and LCX, diameter of a soda straw, less than an inch long

left anterior descending (LAD)

embedded on the front surface of the heart

left circumflex (LCX)

circles left side of heart, embedded on the back

right coronary artery

travels in right atrioventricular groove, wraps around inferior heart

acute marginal branch

off right coronary artery, runs along RV

capillaries

smallest blood vessels; exchange oxygen, CO₂, and waste

besian veins

drain directly into right atrium

angina

chest pain, often radiating to jaw and arm

angina pectoris

stable angina

unstable angina

unexpected chest pain at rest; frequency varies

variant angina (Prinzmetal's)

rare, occurs at rest, often night/morning in younger patients

microvascular angina

spasms in small coronary vessels; longer lasting pain

coronary artery disease (CAD)

plaque buildup in coronary arteries causing narrowing

coronary artery stenosis

narrowing of the artery

myocardial ischemia

oxygen deficiency to heart muscle due to blockage

ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM)

permanent damage to heart from prolonged oxygen deprivation

myocardial infarction (MI)

heart attack; blood flow blocked to heart muscle

STEMI

EKG shows elevated ST wave; total occlusion

NSTEMI

partial blockage; ST wave depressed or inverted

oxygenation process

oxygen-poor blood enters right atrium → lungs → oxygen-rich blood returns to left atrium → pumped to body

vena cava (superior)

returns blood from upper body to right atrium

vena cava (inferior)

returns blood from lower body to right atrium

tricuspid valve

allows blood into right ventricle

pulmonary valve

blood flows to pulmonary artery → lungs

pulmonary veins

return oxygen-rich blood to left atrium