Medical Terminology Flashcards

Abdomen

The area of the body between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the thighs.

Abdominal aorta

The portion of the aorta in the abdomen.

Ablation

Elimination or removal.

ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitor

A medicine that lowers blood pressure by interfering with the breakdown of a protein-like substance involved in blood pressure regulation.

Acetylcholine

A type of chemical (neurotransmitter) that transmits messages among nerve cells and muscle cells.

Acquired heart disease

Heart disease that arises after birth, usually from infection or through the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries that feed the heart muscle.

Alveoli

Air sacs in the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.

Amiodarone

An antiarrhythmic medicine used to treat irregular heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia by regulating cardiac nerve impulses.

Aneurysm

A sac-like protrusion from a blood vessel or the heart, resulting from a weakening of the vessel wall or heart muscle.

Angina (angina pectoris)

Chest pain that occurs when diseased blood vessels restrict blood flow to the heart.

Angiography

An x-ray technique in which dye is injected into the heart chambers or coronary arteries to measure blood flow, blood pressure, and blockages.

Angioplasty

A nonsurgical technique for treating diseased arteries by temporarily inflating a tiny balloon inside an artery.

Angiotensin II receptor blocker

A medicine that lowers blood pressure by blocking the action of angiotensin II, a chemical that constricts blood vessels.

Annulus

The ring around a heart valve where the valve leaflet merges with the heart muscle.

Antiarrhythmics

Medicines used to treat patients who have irregular heart rhythms.

Anticoagulant

Any medicine that keeps blood from clotting; commonly called a blood thinner.

Antihypertensive

Any medicine or therapy that lowers blood pressure.

Antiplatelet therapy

Medicines that prevent platelets from sticking together and forming a blood clot.

Aorta

The largest artery in the body and the primary vessel supplying systemic blood from the heart.

Aortic valve

The valve that regulates blood flow from the heart into the aorta.

Aphasia

The inability to speak, write, or understand spoken or written language due to brain injury or disease.

Arrhythmia (dysrhythmia)

An abnormal heartbeat.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD)

A genetic type of cardiomyopathy with no known cause that leads to ventricular arrhythmias.

Arteriography

A test combined with cardiac catheterization to visualize an artery or arterial system following injection of contrast dye.

Arterioles

Small, muscular branches of arteries that constrict to increase resistance and arterial blood pressure.

Artery

A blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the body.

Arteritis

Inflammation of the arteries.

Arteriosclerosis

A disease process commonly called 'hardening of the arteries' that causes arterial walls to thicken and lose elasticity.

Artificial heart

A manmade mechanical pump that replaces the failing biological heart; also called a total artificial heart (TAH).

Ascending aorta

The initial segment of the aorta that emerges directly from the left ventricle of the heart.

Aspirin

Acetylsalicylic acid; a drug used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and inhibit blood clot formation.

Atherectomy

A nonsurgical procedure for cutting or shaving away plaque narrowing or blocking an artery using a rotating device.

Atherosclerosis

A condition characterized by the progressive buildup of fatty plaques inside the arterial walls.

Atria (right and left)

The two upper holding and receiving chambers of the heart.

Atrial flutter

An arrhythmia in which the upper heart chambers beat rapidly and regularly, resulting in inefficient ventricular contractions.

Atrial septal defect (ASD)

A congenital heart defect characterized by an abnormal opening in the septum separating the two upper chambers.

Atrial tachycardia

A fast arrhythmia originating in the atria, causing heart rates between 160 and 200 beats per minute.

Atrioventricular block

A disturbance or interruption in electrical signal conduction between the atria and the ventricles.

Atrioventricular (AV) node

A cluster of specialized electrical conduction cells located between the atria and ventricles that delays and directs impulses to the ventricles.

Atrium

Either of the two upper chambers of the heart.

Autologous

Derived or transferred from the same individual's own body.

Autoregulation

The intrinsic ability of an organ to maintain constant blood flow despite changes in arterial perfusion pressure.

Bacteria

Microscopic single-celled organisms that can act as infectious disease pathogens.

Bacterial endocarditis

A bacterial infection affecting the endocardium or heart valves.

Balloon catheter

A long, thin catheter with an inflatable balloon tip used to widen stenotic vessels or valves.

Balloon valvuloplasty

A percutaneous procedure that uses an inflatable balloon catheter to dilate and open a stenosed heart valve.

Beta-blocker

An antihypertensive medication that reduces blood pressure and heart rate by blocking the action of epinephrine.

Biopsy

The surgical excision and examination of a small tissue sample for diagnostic analysis.

Blalock-Taussig procedure

A surgical shunt created between the subclavian and pulmonary arteries to increase pulmonary blood flow in cyanotic infants.

Blood clot

A semisolid, gelatinous mass formed by platelets and fibrin to arrest hemorrhage or occlude an injured blood vessel.

Blood pressure

The hydrostatic force exerted by circulating blood against the walls of systemic arteries.

Blue babies

Infants exhibiting cyanosis due to congenital cardiovascular malformations that result in deoxygenated systemic blood circulation.

Body mass index (BMI)

A calculated measure of body fat based on height and weight ($\text{BMI} = \frac{\text{weight in kg}}{(\text{height in m})^2}$) used to screen for cardiovascular risk.

Bradycardia

An abnormally slow resting heart rate, generally defined as fewer than 60 beats per minute.

Bridge to transplant

Temporary mechanical circulatory support deployed to sustain patients with end-stage heart failure until a donor organ is available.

Bruit

An abnormal sound or vascular murmur caused by turbulent blood flow through a narrowed or damaged vessel.

Bundle branch block

An intraventricular conduction defect where transmission along the electrical bundle branches is delayed or blocked.

Bypass

Surgical revascularization to detour blood around an occluded artery using a grafted vessel.

Calcium channel blocker

A drug that reduces arterial blood pressure and myocardial workload by inhibiting calcium ion influx into cardiac and smooth muscle cells.

Capillaries

Microscopic, single-endothelial-layer blood vessels connecting arterioles and venules where gas, nutrient, and waste exchange occurs.

Cardiac

Pertaining or relating specifically to the heart.

Cardiac amyloidosis

Infiltration of insoluble extracellular amyloid proteins into myocardial tissue, causing restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Cardiac arrest

The abrupt cessation of effective mechanical cardiac pumping activity, typically triggered by electrical malfunction.

Cardiac cachexia

Severe unintentional muscle and fat wasting associated with advanced, end-stage heart disease or heart failure.

Cardiac catheterization

An invasive diagnostic procedure where a catheter is threaded through peripheral vessels directly into cardiac chambers and coronary arteries.

Cardiac enzymes

Biomarkers released into systemic circulation from injured or necrotic cardiomyocytes, utilized to detect acute myocardial infarction.

Cardiac output

The total volume of blood ejected by the heart per unit of time, calculated in liters per minute.

Cardiologist

A physician specializing in the diagnosis, medical management, and prevention of heart and vascular disorders.

Cardiology

The medical specialty concerned with the study, physiology, and pathology of the cardiovascular system.

Cardiomegaly

Pathological enlargement or hypertrophy of the heart muscle.

Cardiomyopathy

Primary disease of the myocardium impairing cardiac pumping function and structural integrity.

Cardiopulmonary bypass

Extracorporeal circulation technique employing a mechanical pump-oxygenator to divert and oxygenate blood during open-heart surgery.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

An emergency life-support procedure combining chest compressions and artificial ventilation to sustain systemic perfusion during cardiac arrest.

Cardiovascular (CV)

Pertaining collectively to the heart and the blood vascular circulatory tree.

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

A broad category of pathologies involving structural or functional disorders of the heart and vascular tree.

Cardioversion

The administration of synchronized electrical shocks to convert tachyarrhythmias back into normal sinus rhythm.

Carotid artery

A major paired cervical artery that ascends through the neck to deliver oxygenated blood to the head and brain.

Cerebral embolism

Obstruction of a cerebral artery by a detached intravascular mass or thrombus carried from an upstream location.

Cerebral hemorrhage

Intracranial extravasation of blood resulting from vascular rupture within brain tissue.

Cerebral thrombosis

In situ formation of a thrombus within an intracranial artery, obstructing cerebral blood flow.

Cerebrovascular

Relating to the vascular network supplying the brain.

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

A focal neurological deficit resulting from ischemic infarction or hemorrhage within cerebral circulation; a stroke.

Cerebrovascular occlusion

Complete mechanical blockage of an intracranial blood vessel causing focal hypoperfusion.

Cholesterol

A lipid sterol essential for cell membrane integrity and steroid synthesis that promotes atherosclerosis when elevated.

Cineangiography

Fluoroscopic motion-picture imaging capturing the transit of radiopaque contrast through cardiovascular structures.

Circulatory system

The organ system comprising the heart, blood vessels, and blood responsible for internal transport and gas exchange.

Claudication

Ischemic muscle pain and cramping, predominantly in the lower limbs, precipitated by exertion due to arterial insufficiency.

Collateral circulation

Auxiliary blood flow established through accessory microvascular networks when a primary vessel is occluded.

Commissurotomy

Surgical incising of adhered valve leaflets to alleviate valvular stenosis.

Computed tomography (CT)

A diagnostic imaging modality utilizing computer-processed x-ray measurements to reconstruct cross-sectional bodily slices.

Conduction system

A specialized network of nodal and Purkinje myocardial fibers that propagate electrical depolarizations across the myocardium.

Congenital

Present at the time of birth, encompassing both hereditary and developmental defects.

Congenital heart defects

Structural anomalies of the heart or great vessels originating from abnormal intrauterine embryogenesis.

Congestive heart failure (CHF)

Inability of the ventricles to generate sufficient cardiac output, resulting in venous congestion and peripheral edema.

Coronary arteries

Arterial branches originating from the aortic root that supply oxygenated blood directly to the myocardium.

Coronary artery anomaly (CAA)

A congenital malformation in the origin, course, or distribution of coronary arterial branches.

Coronary artery bypass (CAB)

Surgical revascularization routing arterial or venous conduits around stenosed segments of coronary arteries.

Coronary artery disease (CAD)

Pathologic narrowing of the coronary arteries typically caused by atheromatous plaque deposition.

Coronary heart disease

Myocardial dysfunction or ischemic injury secondary to atherosclerotic stenosis of the coronary circulation.

Coronary occlusion

The mechanical obstruction of a coronary artery lumen, producing myocardial ischemia.