Cardio and Pulmonary

STEMI

ST elevation myocardial infarction

aneurysm

widening of a blood vessel due to pressure on weakened tissues, causing the formation of a sac of blood

PT pulse

Posterior tibial pulse

NSR

Normal sinus rhythm - sinus node generates an electrical impulse. goes through right and left atrial muscles, producing electrical changes, which is represented on the electrocardiogram (ECG) by the p-wave. then, goes through atrioventricular node. ventricular contraction represented on ECG by QRS complex of waves. follwed by T-wave, which is the electrical changes in the ventricles as they are relaxing

ROSC

return of spontaneous circulation - when pulses return to a patient that has been in cardiac arrest

PVC

premature ventricular contraction

NSSTTWchanges

nonspecific ST-T wave changes

BER

benign early repolarization

LBBB/RBBB

left/right bundle branch block

ACLS

advanced cardiovascular life support

AED

Automatic external defibrillator - diagnoses potentially threatening cardiac arrhythmias and treats them through defibrillation

Angina

Chest pain/discomfort that occurs when an area of the heart muscle doesn’t have enough blood

Arrhythmia

irregularity or loss of rhythm

ARTERY

carries blood away from the heart

AV node

Atrioventricular node - electrical control system of the heart - controls heart rate

BP

Blood pressure

HR

heart rate

CP

chest pain

ECHO

a sonogram that evaluates how the heart is beating/pumping blood

Orthopnea

shortness of breath that occurs when lying flat

Palpitations

rapid or irregular heartbeat

PND

paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea - sudden, severe, shortness of breath that wakes a person from sleep

SA node

sinoatrial node - impulse-generating (pacemaker tissue located in the right of the heart (where sinus rhythm is normally generated)

Vein

carries blood towards the heart

bibasilar

referring to bilateral lung bases

bpm

beats per minute

bradycardia

slow heart rate (below 60)

bruit

unusual sound that blood makes when it rushes past an obstruction in an artery caused by buildup of plaque or damage to vessels

Carotid bruit

a sound made in the blood vessels of the neck resulting from turbulent blood flow caused by a buildup of plaque/damage to vessels

Click

short, high-pitched sounds heard on auscultation

DP

dosalis pedis pulse

Edema

swelling of tissue due to excess amounts of fluid

Pitting edema - a pit can be created in the skin by applying pressure

gallop

extra heart sound (S3/S4, depending on where in the cycle it occurs)

JVD

jugular vein distension - visible bulging of jugular veins

murmur

extra heart sounds that are produced as a result of turbulent blood flow

AV node

Atrioventricular node - electrical control system of the heart - controls heart rate

pulse

tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat by trained fingertips. the pulse can be found anywhere an artery is compressed against bone. rated on a scale of 1+ to 4+`

reproducible chest pain

chest pain elicited by palpating the chest

S1/S2

lub dub normal heart sounds

tachycardia

fast heart rate (more than 100)

A fib

Atrial fibrillation - chaotic electrical activity of atria resulting in the heart muscle quivering instead of contracting normally

AAA

abdominal aortic aneurysm - localised dilatation of the abdominal aorta (exceeds normal diameter by 50 percent)

ablation

invasive procedure to remove faulty electrical pathway from the hearts of people prone to developing cardiac arrythmias

angioplasty

mechanically widening narrowed/obstructed blood vessels

Aortic dissection

a tear in the inner wall of the aorta causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta and force them apart

asystole

no cardiac activity

atherosclerosis

fat, cholesterol, other substances build up in arteries and cause plaques

CAD

coronary artery disease - narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood/oxygen to the heart

cardiac catheterization

insertion of a catheter into a chamber/vessel of the heart

cardiomegaly

enlargement of the heart

cardiomyopathy

weakening of the myocardium, inadequate heart pumping

Cardioversion

abnormally fast heartrate/arrythmia is converted to a normal rhythm

synchronized - therapeutic dose of electrical current to the heart. PULSE IS PRESENT

unsynchronized (defibrillation) - no pulse present

chemical - uses antiarrhythmic medication instead of electrical shock

CHF

Congestive heart failure - blood moves through the heart/ body at a slower rate, pressure in the heart increases. heart can’t pump enough blood/nutrients to meet the body’s needs

CPR

Cardio pulmonary resuscitation - chest compressions at least 5 cm deep at 100 bpm to create artificial circulation

DVT

Deep vein thrombosis - formation of a blood clot in a vein

ECG/EKG

Electrocardiogram - transthoracic interpretation of the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time - detected by electrodes

ICD

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator - detects ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation and shocks to return normal heart function

LBBB

Left Bundle Branch Block

MI

Myocardial Infarction - blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked so part of heart tissue is damaged or dies (also called a heart attack)

MVP

Mitral Valve Prolapse - valve that separates upper and lower chambers of the left side of the heart don’t close properly

Myocarditis

Inflammation of the myocardium (heart muscle)

NSTEMI

Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction

Pacemaker

Uses electrical impulses via electrodes to regulate the beating of the heart. Maintains normal rhythm

PE

Pulmonary embolism - blood clot that forms in a vein, travels through bloodstream, lodges in lungs

PEA

Pulseless electrical activity - a heart rhythm is observed on the électrocardiogramme that should be producing a pulse, but is not

Pericarditis

Inflammation of the pericardium

PVD

Peripheral vascular disease - blood vessel condition that hardens vessels supplying the legs and feet

RBBB

Right bundle branch block

Stress test

Measures the heart’s ability to respond to external stress in a clinical environment. Induced physically or chemically

SVT

Supra ventricular tachycardia - any tachycardia rhythm originating above the AV node

EF

ejection fraction - fraction of blood pumped out of the left/right ventricles with each beat (normal is 60-70%)

TCP

Transcutaneous Pacing - temporary pacing of a patient’s heart externally by delivering pulses of electric current to the heart

V fib

Ventricular fibrillation - uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac mucles of the ventricle, making them quiver rather than contract

V tach

ventricular tachycardia - fast heart rhythm originating in one of the ventricles of the heart

valve replacement

a patient’s failing valve is replaced with an alternate healthy one. valve could have been affected by disease, becoming leaking or partially blocked

blood thinners (two types)

anticoagulants - chemical reactions in body to lengthen the time it takes to form a clot. antiplatelet therapy - preventing platelets from clumping together to clot

diuretics

forced diuresis, which increases rate of urination, and therefore fluid loss, decreasing blood pressure

vasodilators

medication dilates blood vessels by loosening/unrestricting muscles in the walls of the arteries

vasoconstrictors

constricts blood vessels to increase peripheral resistance and increase blood pressure

aspirin (what does it do)

blood thinner and platelet control

amiodarone

antiarrhythmic

atenolol/metoprolol

treats hypertension and atrial fibrillation (beta blockers)

adenosine

treats super ventricular tachycardia

coumadin (warfarin)

blood thinner

lisinopril

manages hypertension (Ace inhibitor)

amlodipine, diltiazem, verapamil

manages hypertension (blocks calcium channels)

nitroglycerin (NTG)

coronary vasodilator for patients with chest pain (also known as nitro). is sublingual or a paste (measured in inches)

eliquis (apixaban)

blood thinner

hemodynamically stable

blood pressure and heart rate are within normal limits

code

cardiopulmonary arrest - patient stops breathing and heart stops beating

pressure

used by patients to refer to hypertension

12 lead

refers to ECG in which 12 nodes are used to measure the electrical activity of the heart

Apnea

absence of spontaneous respirations

BVM

bag-valve-mask - hand-held device that provides positive pressure ventilation to a patient that is having trouble breathing

DOE

Dyspnea on exertion

dyspnea

shortness of breath

hemoptysis

coughing up blood

hypoxia

pathological condition in which the body as a whole (generalized hypoxia) or specific part of the body (tissue hypoxia) is deprived of adequate oxygen supply

Larynx

hollow muscular organ that forms an air passage to the lungs and holds the vocal cords

MDI

metered dose inhaler