Medical Terminology - Cardiology

BP

Blood pressure

Aneurysm

An abnormal dilation of a blood vessel due to wall weakening

Angina

Chest pain caused by decreased blood flow or oxygen to the heart

Angioedema

Swelling of the deeper layers of the skin

Anticoagulation

Prevent the clotting of blood

Antihyperlipidemic

preventing elevated lipids in the blood

Antiplatelet

Preventing blood clotting through inhibition of platelet aggregation

Arrhythmia

Abnormal heart rate or rhythm

Arteriosclerosis

Hardening of the artery walls

Asystole

The absence of contractions in the heart

Atherosclerotic

Harding of the artery walls due to buildup of plaque

Bradyarrhythmia

A disturbance in normal heart rhythm resulting in a slow heart rate, or bradycardia

Bradycardia

An abnormally slow heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute

CAD

Coronary Artery Disease

Cardio

Heart

Cardiogenic

Originating in the heart

Cardiomegaly

An abnormal enlargement of the heart

Cardiotoxicity

Damage to the heart

CCU

Coronary care unit

CHF

Congestive heart failure

CO

Cardiac Output

CVP

Central venous pressure

Dysrhythmias

An abnormal electrical rhythm

ECG

Electrocardiogram

Edema

Swelling of body tissues due to excess accumulation of fluid

Embolism

Obstruction of an artery or blood vessel due to air, blood clot, or fatty deposits

Fibrinolysis

The breakdown of blood clots

Gynecomastia

Breast enlargement in men due to a non-cancerous growth in breast tissue

HTN

Hypertension

Hypercholesterolemia

Excess levels of cholesterol in the blood

Hypertension

Elevated blood pressure

Hypertriglyceridemia

Above normal triglyceride levels in the blood

Hypotension

Low, or decrease in, blood pressure

Infarction

Formation of an infarct, which is an area of dead tissue after a lack of blood supply

Ischemia

Condition related to lack of blood flow, often described to various organs

Myocarditits

Inflammation of the heart, specifically the myocardium (middle muscle of the heart wall)

NVD

Neck vein distention

Palpitations

Irregular heartbeat

Pericarditits

General inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart (pericardium)

Phlebo/veno

Veins

Proarrhythmic

A medication that can cause an arrhythmia, or have properties to cause an arrhythmia

PVC

Premature ventricular complex

PVD

Peripheral vascular disease

Revascularization

Restoring blood flow to an area or organ of the body

Rhabdomyolysis

A condition that causes the breakdown of muscle tissue where breakdown products enter systemic circulation causing acute injury

-sclerosis

hardening

-stenosis

narrowing

Tachyarrhythmia

Rapid heartbeat with arrhythmia

Tachycardia

Rapid heart beat

Thrombocytopenia

Decrease in number of platelets present in the blood

Thromboembolic

Blockage of a blood vessel by a thrombus, often referred to as a specific event

Thrombolytic

Elimination or breakdown of a clot

Thrombophlebitis

Inflammation of a vein with a clot

Thromboprophylaxis

Prevention of a clot

Thrombosis

Formation of a clot

Vasculopathy

Disease of blood vessels

Vasoconstriction

Narrowing of blood vessels

Vasodilation

Dilation of blood vessels

Veno-occlusive

Compression of small veins

Ventricular

Of a ventricle (lower chamber of heart from atrium); forces blood into arteries