Medical Terminology

sub

subcutaneous: under the skin

trans

transdermal: through the skin

pre

prenatal: before birth

post

postoperative: after surgery

brady

(bradycardia: slow heart rate

tachy

(tachycardia: fast heart rate)

micro

small

macro

large

hyper

above, excessive

hypo

below, deficient

anti

against

bio

life

intra

intravenous: within a vein

inter

intercostal: between the ribs

peri

pericardium: around the heart

epi

epidermis: upon the skin

itis

(inflammation): arthritis, bronchitis

osis

(abnormal condition): cirrhosis, sclerosis

opathy

(disease): cardiomyopathy

emia

(blood condition): leukemia, anemia

algia/dynia

(pain): myalgia, cephalodynia

ectomy

(removal): tonsillectomy, mastectomy

otomy

(cutting into): gastrotomy, laparotomy

plasty

(repair): angioplasty

scopy

(visual exam): colonoscopy, arthroscopy

graphy

(recording): mammography, electrocardiography

logist

(specialist): neurologist, pathologist

iatrist

(physician): geriatrist, psychiatrist

cide

(to kill): germicide, fungicide

stat

(to inhibit): fungistat, bacteriostat

ectomy

(removal) vs. -otomy (incision)

itis

(inflammation) vs. -osis (condition)

algia

(pain) vs. -dynia (pain)

Cardiovascular

cardi (heart), angi (vessel), hem (blood)

Respiratory

neum/pulmon (lung), bronch (bronchus), laryng (larynx)

Digestive

"gastr (stomach), hepat (liver),enter (intestine)"

Urinary

nephr/ren (kidney), cyst (bladder), ur (urine)

Musculoskeletal

"oste (bone), myo (muscle),arthr (joint)"

Nervous

neuro (nerve), encephal (brain), psych (mind)

Integumentary

derm (skin), trich (hair), onych (nail)

Electrocardiogram

electr (electricity) + cardi (heart) + gram (record) = a recording of the heart's electrical activity

Osteoarthritis

oste (bone) + arthr (joint) + itis (inflammation) = inflammation of bone and joint

Myocardium:

The muscular layer of the heart responsible for contracting and pumping blood

Atrium/Atria

The upper chambers of the heart that receive blood

Ventricle

The lower chambers that pump blood out to the lungs (right ventricle) or the body (left ventricle)

Valves

Structures that control blood flow direction (tricuspid, mitral, pulmonary, aortic)

Ischemia

Lack of blood flow to tissue, often leading to pain or tissue damage

Angina

Chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle

Myocardial Infarction (MI)

Commonly known as a heart attack, this is the death of heart muscle due to blocked blood supply

Arrhythmia

Abnormal heart rhythm, suchas atrial fibrillation (AFib) or ventriculartachycardia (VT)

Heart Failure

The heart's inability to pump blood effectively, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath and swelling (edema)

Arteries

Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart (except the pulmonary artery)

Veins

Carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart (except the pulmonary vein)

Capillaries

Tiny vessels where gas and nutrient exchange occurs

Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG)

A test that records electrical activity of the heart

Telemetry

Continuous monitoring of heart rhythms

Pacemaker

A device implanted to regulate abnormal heart rhythms

Defibrillator

A device that delivers an electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)

Surgical procedure to restore blood flow to the heart

IV Medications

Drugs given intravenously to manage blood pressure or cardiac rhythm

Erythrocytes

Red blood cells, carry oxygen

Leukocytes

White blood cells, fight infection

Platelets

Help with clotting

Plasma

The liquid portion of blood