Cardiovascular Terms

Congestive Heart Failure - A condition that occurs when the heart muscles do not beat adequately to supply the blood needs of the body.

Embolus - A foreign substance circulating in the bloodstream.

Hypertension - High blood pressure.

Myocardial infarction - Heart attack; Occurs when a blockage in the coronary arteries cuts off the supply of blood to the heart.

Myocardium - Part of the three layers of tissue that form the heart; The thickest layer + the muscular middle layer.

Pericardium -  double-layered membrane, or sac, that covers the outside of the heart. 

Endocardium - a smooth layer of cells that line the inside of the heat and is continuous with the inside of blood vessels.

Arrhythmias - abnormal heart rhythms and can be mild to life-threatening

Diastole - The period of rest in the cardiac cycle

Systole - a period of ventricular contraction in the cardiac cycle

Phlebitis - inflammation of a vein, frequently in leg

Atherosclerosis - occurs when fatty plaques are deposited on the walls of the arteries

Arteriosclerosis - the hardening of thickening of the arterial walls, resulting in  loss of elasticity and contractility.

Aneurysm - a ballooning out of, or saclike formation on an artery wall

Varicose Veins - Dilated, swollen veins that have lost elasticity and cause stasis, or decreased blood flow.