Circulatory System Vocabulary

Anemia

decreased amount of RBCs

angina pectoris

chest pain

capillary

smallest veins that connect arterioles and venules; where gas exchange occurs

Arteriosclerosis

thickening/hardening of walls

atherosclerosis

fatty plaque narrows arteries

diastole

heart is at rest; ventricles are filling; atria are contracting; bottom number of BP

systole

heart of contracting; top number of BP

asystole

heart is stopped; flat lined

tachycardia

fast heart rate > 100 in an adult

bradycardia

slow heart rate

ventricle

bottom two chambers of the heart

Dilate

make bigger

Hypertension

high blood pressure; blood pressure > 140/90

hypotension

low blood pressure

peripheral

not central; on the outside

syncope

fainting

thrombus

blood clot

embolus

foreign substance

mediastium

space between lungs that houses the heart

Sphygmomanometer

instrument used to measure blood pressure; AKA blood pressure cuff

arrhythmia

abnormal heart rhythm

Erythrocyte

red blood cell

Leukocyte

white blood cell

Thrombocyte

platelet

Hemoglobin

protein in your blood that transports oxygen to your tissues

Valves of the heart

tricuspid, pulmonary valve, bicuspid (mitral), aortic

atrium/atria

top two chambers of the heart

difference between arteries and veins

arteries carry blood away from the heart, arteries are thicker and more muscular, arteries usually carry oxygenated blood (except pulmonary artery).....veins carry blood toward the heart, veins have valves, vein's walls are thinner, veins carry deoxygenated blood (except pulmonary vein)

congestive heart failure

heart disease where the heart cannot supply an adequate amount of oxygenated blood to meet the body's needs; the heart becomes enlarged and stretched out

Signs and symptoms of a myocardial infarction

chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, jaw/arm/shoulder/back pain in females

phlebitis

inflammation of veins

thrombophlebitis

inflammation of the vein due to a thrombosis(blood clot)

Iron Deficiency Anemia

anemia related to lack of the mineral iron; most common type of anemia which is needed to make hemoglobin

Pernicious Anemia

the body can't make enough RBC because it doesn't have enough of the vitamin B12, requires B12 injections

Aplastic Anemia

body stops producing all blood cells which leads to fatigued, more prone to infections, and more likely to hemorrhage

Sickle cell anemia

inherited disease in which RBC become sickled or crescent moon shaped. The sickle shaped cells block the flow of blood which leads to pain (aka as a sickle cell crisis)

3 layers of the heart

endocardium,myocardium, epicardium

4 chambers of the heart

right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle