Circulatory System, Nervous System, & C-D

cardi/o

heart

brady/tachy

slow/fast

angi/o

vessel

veno/phlebo

vein

-stasis

to stop

-cyte

cell

hem/o, -emia

blood

atherosclerosis

• “hardening of the fatty stuff”

• formation of fatty plaques lining blood vessels, which get calcified and hard, leading to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

• high BP → heart/kidney damage/stroke

myocardial infarction (MI)

blockage of blood flow resulting in the death of muscle tissue in the heart aka a heart attack

mitral prolapse/regurgitation

a heart condition where the flaps of the mitral valve bulge backward into the left upper chamber of the heart during a heartbeat

• the back flow is referred to as regurgitation

stenosis

when a heart valve is abnormally narrowing, causing partial obstruction, constricting flow

angina pectoris

• “pain in the chest” associated with heart as not enough blood is getting to the heart muscle

• accompanied w/ shortness of breath, fatigue, and nausea

• nitroglycerine tablets to increase blood flow

arrhythmia/dysrhythmia

general term for abnormal heart rates

• “no rhythm” or “abnormal rhythm”

ischemia

“not quite enough blood”

• reduced (little oxygen) or blocked blood flow deprives body tissues of essential oxygen and nutrients

cardiologist

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

• dont do surgery, thats a cardiovascular surgeon

hematologist

a physician specializing in disease 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

long hollow tube (catheter) that is threaded into an artery up into the heart, a material opaque to x-rays is released into the blood flow through the heart imaging the details of the coronary arteries

• used to hep identify a blockage and location in the coronary ciruclation

phlebotomist/venipuncturist

specially trained nurse or technician draws blood for lab tests and may also start IVs (intravenous fluids)

• greek/latin versions of cutting into the vein

cardiologist

electrocardiogram

abnormally slow heart rate

erythrocytes

phlebitis

myocardial infarct

phlebotomist

stenosis

cephal/o

head

cephalgia

headache

encephal/o

inside the head (brain)

myel/o

spinal cord

neur/o

nerve

dys

difficult, painful, abnormal

-cele

hernia, abnormal protrusion of the structure out of normal anatomical position

-pathy

disease, abnormality

-plasia

development, formation, growth

-plegia

paralysis

multiple sclerosis

many hardenings

• multiple hard plaques of degeneration of the insulating layer of nerve fibers in the CNS

• results in “short circuiting” of nerve impulses

• can result in paralysis and sensory disturbances or blindness

cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

stroke

• can be caused by a blood vessel in the brain bursting (internal bleeding)

• depending on the area of the brain, the patient may suffer paralysis, loss of speech or loss of vision

thrombus

• clot arising in blood brain vessel

  • can result in CVA

embolus

clot arises elsewhere, travels and gets stuck in a brain vessel

• can result in CVA

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

not enough blood to the brain

• can have same symptoms as strokes (weakness in arm, partial loss in vision)

• symptoms < 24 hours

epilepsy

• greek word for seizure (not all seizures are epilepsy)

• can be controlled with medication, or if unresponsive to drugs it may require surgery

aphasia

loss of speech

• can occur if someone has a stroke/injury on the left side of their brain

• injury involves the motor speech area (not the one where they can speak but don’t understand what others are saying)

neurologist

a physician specializing in disease of the brain, spinal cord and nerves

• don’t do surgery, neurosurgeons do

lumbar (spinal) puncture to tap (LP)

introducing a needle between the lower bony vertebrae of our spinal column in order to sample the cerebrospinal fluid (fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord)

• lab test are done on the fluid for diagnostic purposes (presence of bacteria in meningitis, special proteins in multiple sclerosis, or blood cells)

brain scan

introducing radioactive element into the blood in order to image possible tumors in the brain

electroencephalography (EEG)

an image of the brain’s electrical activity

• used to diagnose different types of seizure disorders such as epilepsy, brain tumors, and are used in sleep research to identify stages of sleep

computed tomography (CT)

specialized X-ray that takes multiple images of a body area from different angles

• computer integrates the multiple images into slices of the body

• better resolution than x-rays and differentiation between types of tissue

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

produces images of slices through the body similar to CT but no x-rays are involved

• patients body is placed into a strong magnetic field

• A computer analyzes this information to show subtle differences in tissue molecular structure producing very high resolution and better differentiation of soft tissue, such as a tumor within the liver.

inflammation of the membranes around the brain

a noninflammatory disease of nerves

herniation of both protective membranes and spinal cord

speak

a brain scan

• anencephalic

• magnetic resonance imaging

meningioma

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Abnormal or lack of development of part of the spinal cord is termed

myelodysplasia

carcin-

malignant

cardio-

heart

cephal-

head

chol-

gall/bile

chondr-

cartilage

circum-

around

colo-

large intestine

colp-

vagina

cyan-

blue

cyst-/cysto-

bladder/sac

dermo-

skin

dento-

teeth

dys-

difficult/painful/abnormal

-cele

hernia (abnormal protrusion of structure out of normal anatomical position)

-centesis

to punture

-cyte

cell

C

centigrade, Celsius

C&S

culture and sensitivity

c/o

complains of

Ca

calcium

CA

cancer

CABG

coronary artery bypass graft

CAD

coronary artery disease

cal

calorie

CAM

complementary and alternative medicine

cap

capsule

CAPD

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

CAT or CT

computerized axial tomography

CBC

complete blood count

CBR

complete bed rest

CBT

cognitive-behavioral therapy

CBW

current body weight

CC

chief complaint

cc

cubic centimeter

CCPD

Continuous Cycler Peritoneal Dialysis

CCU

coronary/critical care unit

CD

Crohn’s disease

CDCES

Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

CF

cystic fibrosis