| A | B |
|---|
| Aorta | The large arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body. |
| Arteriole | Any of the small terminal twigs of an artery that ends in capillaries |
| Artery | Any of the tubular branching muscular- and elastic-walled vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body. |
| Arteriosclerosis | A chronic disease characterized by abnormal thickening and hardening of the arterial walls with resulting loss of elasticity |
| Atherosclerosis | A cardiovascular disease in which growths called plaques develop on the inner walls of the arteries, narrowing their inner diameters. |
| Atrium | A chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle or ventricles. |
| Capillary | Any of the smallest blood vessels connecting arterioles with venules and forming networks throughout the body. |
| Cardiac muscle | Striated muscle fibers (cells) that form the wall of the heart; stimulated by the intrinsic conduction system and autonomic motor neurons |
| Cardiac output | The volume of blood ejected from the left side of the heart in one minute. |
| Circulation | The movement of blood through the vessels of the body that is induced by the pumping action of the heart and serves to distribute nutrients and oxygen to and remove waste products from all parts of the body. |
| Coronary Artery | Either of two arteries that arise one from the left and one from the right side of the aorta immediately above the semilunar valves and supply the tissues of the heart itself |
| Heart rate | A measure of cardiac activity usually expressed as number of beats per minute |
| Peripheral artery disease | partial or total blockage of an artery, usually one leading to a leg or arm. |
| Peripheral vascular disease | affecting blood vessels outside of the heart and especially those vessels supplying the extremities. |
| Pulmonary Circulation | The passage of venous blood from the right atrium of the heart through the right ventricle and pulmonary arteries to the lungs where it is oxygenated and its return via the pulmonary veins to enter the left atrium and participate in the systemic circulation |
| Pulse | A regularly recurrent wave of distension in arteries that results from the progress through an artery of blood injected into the arterial system at each contraction of the ventricles of the heart. |
| Smooth muscle | A tissue specialized for contraction, located in the walls of hollow internal organs, and innervated by the autonomic motor neurons |
| Stroke volume | The volume of blood pumped from a ventricle of the heart in one beat |
| Valve | A bodily structure (as the mitral valve) that closes temporarily a passage or orifice or permits movement of fluid in one direction only. |
| Varicose vein | An abnormal swelling of a superficial vein of the legs. |
| Ventricle | A chamber of the heart which receives blood from a corresponding atrium and from which blood is forced into the arteries. |
