Circulatory System | Des Moines University

Terms

cardi/o

heart

brady/tachy

slow/fast

angi/o

vessel

veno/phlebo

vein

-stasis

to stop

-cyte

cell

hem/o, -emia

blood

Circulatory System Diseases

Atherosclerosis

“hardening of the fatty stuff”

Myocardial Infarction (MI)

blockage of blood flow resulting in death of muscle tissue in the heart

(heart attack)

Mitral prolapse, stenosis, regurgitation

prolapse - flaps of valve tear away due to disease… which results in leakage and backward flow called “regurgitation”

stenosis - “a narrowing”

Angina Pectoris

“pain in the chest”

• indicates not enough blood is getting to the heart muscle

Arrhythmia/Dysrthmia

“no rhythm” and “abnormal rhythm”

Ischemia

“not quite enough blood”

Circulatory System Procedures

Cardiologist

a physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the circulatory system (especially the heart)

Hematologist

a physician specializing in diseases of the blood

Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG)

a printout recording of the electrical activity of the heart

Echocardiography

using ultra high frequency sound waves to form an image of the inside of the heart

Cardiac Catheterization

a long hollow tube, a catheter, can be threaded into an artery up into the heart

Phlebotomist/Venipuncturist

the specially trained nurse or technician draws blood for lab tests and may also start IV’s

“cutting into a vein”