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Heart Terminology
Alpha blockers
These are drugs that help lower blood pressure by preventing muscle contractions in small arteries. They reduce the effects of natural body chemicals that narrow blood vessels.
Angina pectoris
The medical term for heart pain due to coronary heart disease. Angina is a symptom of a condition called myocardial ischemia. It occurs when the heart muscle doesn't get as much blood (hence as much oxygen) as it needs for a given level of work.
Angiography
An X-ray examination of the blood vessels or chambers of the heart. The doctor traces the course of a special fluid (called a contrast medium or dye), visible by X-ray, that's been injected into the bloodstream.
Angioplasty
The surgical repair of a blocked or occluded blood vessel by inserting a balloon-tipped catheter into the artery. The balloon is then inflated and pushes open the blocked artery so that blood flow can resume. (See also "Balloon Angioplasty")
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
Medications which help lower blood pressure by blocking the formation of a natural chemical that narrows blood vessels. These drugs have proven to be very important and effective, as they have shown to reduce the death rate from either heart attack or heart failure by 20-40%.
Anti-arrhythmic drugs
Anti-arrhythmic drugs help treat and prevent abnormal heart rhythm.
Anticoagulants
Anticoagulants (e.g., heparin and coumadin) thin the blood, lessening the chance of blood clots forming inside the heart, legs or lungs.
Aorta
The main trunk of the systemic arteries, carrying blood from the left side of the heart to the arteries of all limbs and organs except the lungs.
Aortic valve
The valve between the left ventricle and the aorta, which prevents blood from flowing from the aorta back into the heart.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmias are abnormal heart rhythms.
Arteries
Any of the muscular elastic tubes that form a branching system and that carry blood away from the heart to the cells, tissues, and organs of the body. The coronary arteries are the special arteries that supply blood and oxygen the heart itself. These arteries are only about the size of a strand of spaghetti, and the blockage of these arteries is what leads to heart attack.
Atherectomy - Directional coronary atherectomy
A small sharp blade inside a catheter is placed against the plaque. The interventional cardiologist then cuts and removes part of the plaque from the wall of the artery.
Atherectomy - Rotational atherectomy
A burr coated with diamond dust is advanced through the plaque at 150,000 rotations per second. The plaque is pulverized into small particles that are washed into the bloodstream.
Atherosclerosis
The condition which refers to the build-up of deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood) in the inner lining of an artery. The build-up that results is called plaque, which leads to blockage of the artery.
Atria
The two top chambers of the heart (right atrium and left atrium). The atria collect blood returning to the heart. The atria them pump the blood into the ventricles.
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm disorder, afflicting more than one million Americans. Atrial fibrillation results in an irregular and often rapid heart beat. If untreated, the condition can result in blood clots inside the heart, which can cause a stroke.
Balloon angioplasty
A catheter (thin tube) with a balloon on the end is threaded through the groin through the major arteries then into the narrowed or blocked artery. The balloon is then inflated at high pressure one or more times to widen the artery and allow blood to flow more easily though it.
Beta blockers
Drugs that decrease the workload on the heart and lower blood pressure. They help reduce the death rate from heart attack or heart failure by 30-40%.
Brachytherapy (intracoronary brachytherapy)
Sometimes arteries again become narrow or blocked after stent implantation due to overgrowth of smooth muscle cells inside the arteries. When that happens, radiation is delivered through a catheter in the coronary arteries to the area to shrink the overgrowth. This procedure is called intracoronary brachytherapy.
Calcium channel blockers
A group of medications, used to treat high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), and/or some arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) by reducing the heart rate and relaxing blood vessels.
Cardiomyopathy
A serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and distorted, and thereby it doesn't work as well as it should. There are different types of cardiomyopathy. In "dilated cardiomyopathy", the heart muscle becomes very weak and thin, which results in dilation or expansions of the ventricles, leading to a weak heart pump. The other common form is called "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy", in which case the heart muscle too large and thick, and again is not able to pump the blood effectively. There are other less common types of cardiomyopathy which can have multiple causes, including alcohol, toxic drugs, or viral infections. Whatever the cause, this condition often leads to the condition of "congestive heart failure"
Catheterization
A procedure in which a doctor guides a thin plastic tube, or catheter, through an artery or vein in the arm or leg to the heart.
Circumflex artery
The circumflex artery supplies blood to the lateral or side aspect of the heart.
Coronary angioplasty
Coronary angioplasty is a non-surgical treatment for blocked or narrowed passages in one or more of the coronary arteries. This procedure allows a normal supply of blood to flow through the heart muscle. Angioplasty can be done in one of several ways, depending on the type of plaque (fatty deposits) blocking the artery and the size and shape of the artery. It may be completed by balloon, stent, laser rotational or directional atherectomy.
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery
Also known as a CABG, this operation is a type of heart surgery done to reroute, or "bypass," blood around clogged arteries and improve the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart.
Coronary artery disease (CAD)
Coronary artery disease refers to the buildup of fatty plaque inside arteries of the heart. This can cause angina, heart attacks or sudden death.
Digitalis
Also known as Digoxin, this drug strengthens the contraction of the heart muscle, slows the heart rate and promotes the elimination of excess fluid.
Diuretics
Diuretics reduce the amount of fluid in the body and help patients with heart failure or high blood pressure.
Drug-Eluting Stent
A special wire mesh tube used to prop open an artery during angioplasty. This special kind of stent is covered with a medication, which reduces scar tissue and re-blockage inside the vessel.
Echocardiography
A technique that sends sound waves into the chest to rebound from the heart's walls and valves. The recorded waves show the shape, texture and movement of the valves on an echocardiogram. They also show the size of the heart chambers and determine how well they're functioning.
Electrocardiogram
Testing method commonly used to determine if the heart has been damaged. Also called ECG or EKG, this is a graphic record of the heart's electrical impulses.
Electrophysiology study
An electrophysiology study uses temporary pacemaker catheters to examine and record the heart’s electrical activity. This study enables doctors to diagnose irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
Heart
The heart is a muscle that pumps blood to the head and body. It is about the size of your fist and is located just to the left of the middle of your chest.
Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
Heart attack (myocardial infarction) refers to an abrupt closure of an artery to the heart (coronary artery) by plaque and a blood clot, which leads to heart damage. Sometimes abrupt closure of the artery triggers a fatal arrhythmia, leading to sudden death.
Heart failure
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle fails to pump as much blood as the body needs. Failure does not mean that the heart has stopped pumping, only that it is not working as well as it should.
HDL
About one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein or HDL. HDL is known as "good" cholesterol because a high level of HDL seems to protect against heart attacks.
Holter monitor
24-hour portable recording of the electrocardiogram, used to detect silent ischemia or other problems.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
This electronic device stops a heartbeat that is too fast or irregular (arrhythmia). It is used in patients who have not responded to standard treatments. The ICD works by delivering one or more shocks directly to the heart. These may or may not be felt, depending on the amount of energy required to get the heart beating normally. At times they can also terminate fast heart rhythms by other means. While the patient is asleep, the ICD is implanted in the chest under the skin or deeper under the muscle. It is connected to leads, which are used for pacing, shocking and sensing.
Ischemia
A decrease in the blood supply to a bodily organ, tissue, or part caused by constriction or obstruction of the blood vessels.
Laser angioplasty
A laser-equipped catheter is inserted into the narrow artery. The laser vaporizes the plaque, and the artery is once again opened to normal width.
LDL
The major cholesterol carrier in the blood. When a person has too much LDL cholesterol circulating in the blood, it can slowly build up within the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. A high level of LDL cholesterol reflects an increased risk of heart disease. That is why LDL cholesterol is often called "bad" cholesterol.
Left anterior descending artery
The left anterior descending artery supplies blood to the front of the heart.
Mitral valve repair & replacement surgery
The mitral valve opens and closes between the left atrium and left ventricle, controlling the blood flowing into the left side of the heart. Mitral valve repair may be needed because of damage caused by a heart attack or because of an abnormality present from birth. Whenever possible, a heart valve should be repaired, not replaced. By repairing the valve rather than replacing it, a patient can avoid long-term use of blood thinners and problems, such as an infection. A mitral valve can be replaced using mechanical valves, tissue valves or homografts (valves donated by another person).
MIDCAB (minimally invasive coronary artery bypass)
Also called keyhole surgery. The goal is to reroute, or "bypass," blood around clogged arteries and improve the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart without being as invasive as a CABG procedure. MIDCAB uses a combination of small holes or "ports" in the chest and a small incision made directly over the coronary artery to be bypassed. Recovery time is much faster.
Niacin
Niacin helps increase good (HDL) cholesterol and reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Nitroglycerin
The drug most often used to treat angina. It relaxes the veins (reducing the amount of blood that returns to the heart and thus lessening the work of pumping) and the coronary arteries (increasing the blood supply to the heart).
Nuclear imaging scans
Nuclear imaging scans let doctors see how the heart is working, rather than how it looks. It produces images using radiation. Instead of injecting dye, the nuclear imaging specialist injects radioactive tracer material into the patient's vein. In some cases, the patient may drink the tracer. As the tracer moves through the body and into the heart, a special scanner shows its path and takes dozens of snapshots of the inside and outside of the pumping heart. These images show up on a computer, which prints them out.
Off pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery
Heart bypass surgery which is performed on a beating heart, negating the need for the patient to be placed on a heart-lung machine.
Pacemaker
A small, battery-operated device that helps the heart beat in a regular rhythm. Some are permanent (internal) and some are temporary (external). It is used to treat certain types of irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia).
Pacemaker (permanent)
Permanent pacemakers are placed in the body through a small incision in the upper chest close to a major vein. The patient is given a local anesthetic. The pacemaker wire is moved into the heart via the vein. The wire must touch the heart to carry electrical signals between the heart and the pacemaker. The pacemaker is then attached to the wire and placed in a pocket-like area underneath the skin or, at times, under the muscle.
Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)
Also known as balloon angioplasty, PTCA is used to dilate (widen) narrowed arteries. A catheter with a deflated balloon on its tip is passed into the narrowed part of the blocked artery. Then the balloon is inflated, and the narrowed area widened.
Plavix
Plavix is an anti-platelet drug, slightly stronger than aspirin, used to prevent blood clots from forming inside arteries. It helps to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Plaque
A deposit of fatty material on the inner lining of an arterial wall, composed of cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood). This build-up causes narrowing or blockage of the arteries, which can lead to angina, heart attack, or sudden death.
Restenosis
The re-closing of an artery after it has previously been open by balloon angioplasty.
Right coronary artery
The right coronary artery provides blood to the back or underside of the heart.
Spiral CT Scan
High speed CT scanner that shows your organs in two-dimensional "slices." This technology makes it possible to detect calcium in the heart’s blood vessels, which may be an indicator of potential coronary artery disease.
Statins
A class of drugs used to lower cholesterol. Statins work directly in your liver to block a substance your liver needs to manufacture cholesterol. That depletes cholesterol in your liver cells and causes the cells to remove cholesterol from circulating blood.
Stenosis
Constriction or narrowing of an artery. The artery may be clogged by the buildup over time of fat, cholesterol and other substances (plaque).
Stent
A wire mesh tube that props open an artery that has recently been cleared using angioplasty. The stent remains in the artery permanently, holds it open, improves blood flow to the heart muscle and relieves symptoms.
Stent implantation
A thin metal mesh-like structure is attached to a balloon catheter and moved into the blocked heart artery. The balloon is inflated, allowing the stent to be expanded and permanently implanted in the artery. The expanded stent acts as a scaffold in the artery to keep it open.
Stress test
Also called a treadmill test or exercise test; it is performed while the patient is walking on a treadmill at increasing speed and elevation. The test can show if there's a lack of blood supply through the arteries that go to the heart.
Thallium stress test
A type of nuclear scanning test or myocardial perfusion (blood flow) imaging test. This test shows the adequacy of blood flow to the heart muscle. It is usually done in conjunction with an exercise stress test.
TPA (tissue plasminogen activator)
A drug approved for use in certain patients having a heart attack. This drug has the ability to dissolve the blood clots that are responsible for causing the majority of all heart attacks.
Transluminal Myocardial Revascularization
A procedure in which a laser catheter is positioned in specific areas of the heart to deliver laser energy, creating small holes. It is thought that these small holes, called channels, will initiate the growth of new blood vessels, allowing oxygen-rich blood to flow in the oxygen starved heart muscle wall. By creating the new blood vessels, the amount of symptoms heart patients experience, such as angina, will be decreased. Transluminal Myocardial Revascularization (TMR) is utilized in patients for whom other procedures, such as angioplasty and coronary bypass surgery have not worked after multiple attempts.
Transesophogeal echocardiography
Also known as a TEE, this is a special type of imaging test. A tube with a transducer on the end of it is passed down a person's throat and into the esophagus. The esophagus is close to the heart, and images from TEE can give very clear pictures of the heart and its structures.
Vasodilators
A group of drugs that cause the muscle in the walls of the blood vessels (especially the arteries) to relax, allowing the artery to dilate (widen).
Ventricles
The two bottom chambers of the heart (right ventricle and left ventricle). The ventricles are larger than the atria and the left one is more muscular. When the ventricles contract, they pump blood out of the heart to different parts of the body.
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