| A | B |
|---|
| Acute Coronary Syndrome | A term used to describe a group of symptoms caused by myocardial ischemia; including angina and myocardial infarction |
| Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) | a heart attack; death of heart muscle following obstructed blood flow to it. |
| Acute | "New" or "happening right now"... usually meaning a sudden onset. |
| Angina Pectoris | Transient (short-lived) chest discomfort caused by a temporary blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle. |
| Anterior | The front surface of the body; the side facing you in the standard anatomic position. |
| Aorta | The main artery, which receives blood from the left ventricle and delivers it to all the other arteries that carry blood to the tissues of the body. |
| Aortic Aneurysm | A weakness in the wall of the aorta that makes it susceptible to rupture. |
| Aortic Valve | The one-way valve that lies between the left ventricle and the aorta and keeps blood from flowing back into the left ventricle after the left ventricle ejects it's blood into the aorta; one of four heart valves. |
| Arrhythmia | An irregular or abnormal heart rhythm. |
| Asystole | The complete absence electrical activity in the heart. |
| Atherosclerosis | A disorder in which cholesterol and calcium build up inside the walls of blood vessels, eventually leading to partial or complete blockage of blood flow. |
| Atrium | One of two (right and left) upper chambers of the heart. |
| Right Atrium | Receives blood from the vena cava and delivers it to the right ventricle. |
| Left Atrium | Receives blood from the pulmonary veins and delivers it to the left ventricle. |
| Automaticity | The ability of the cardiac muscle cells to contract without stimulation from the nervous system. |
| Autonomic Nervous System | The part of the nervous system that controls the involuntary activities of the body such as the heart rate, blood pressure, and the digestion of food. |
| Bradycardia | A slow heart rate, less than 60 beats per minute. |
| Cardiac Arrest | A state in which the heart fails to generate effective and detectable blood flow; pulses are not palpable in cardiac arrest, even if muscular and electrical activity continues in the heart. |
| Cardiogenic Shock | A state in which not enough oxygen is delivered to the tissues of the body, caused by low output of blood from the heart. |
| Cardiac Output | A measure of blood volume circulated by the heartin 1 minute, calculated by multiplying stroke volume by heart rate (SV x HR = Cardiac Output). |
| Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) | A disorder in which the heart loses part of its ability to to effectively pump blood, usually as a result of damage to the heart muscle and usually resulting in a backup of fluid into the lungs. |
| Coronary Arteries | The blood vessels that carry blood and nutrients to the heart muscle. |
| Defibrillate | To shock a "fibrillating" (chaotically beating) heart with specialized current in an attempt to restore normal, a rhythmic beat. |
| Dependent Edema | Swelling in the part of the body closest to the ground, caused by the collection of fluid in the tissues; a possible sign of congestive heart failure. |
| Dilation | Widening of a tubular structure such as a coronary artery. |
| Dissecting Aneurysm | A condition in which the inner layers of an artery, such as the aorta, become separated, allowing blood (at high pressure) to flow between layers. |
| Hypertensive Emergency | An emergency situation created by excessively high blood pressure, which leads to serious complications such as stroke or aneurysm. |
| Infarction | Death of a body tissue, usually caused by interruption of the blood supply. |
| Inferior | The part of the body or any body part nearer to the feet. |
| Ischemia | A lack of oxygen that deprives the tissues necessary nutrients, resulting from partial or complete blockage of blood flow; potentially reversible because permanent injury or damage has not occurred yet. |
| Lumen | The inside diameter of an artery or some other structure. |
| Myocardium | The heart muscle. |
| Occlusion | A blockage, usually of a tubular structure such as a blood vessel. |
| Parasympathetic Nervous System | The part of the autonomic nervous system that controls vegetative functions such as digestion of food and relaxation. |
| Perfusion | The flow of blood through body tissues and vessels. |
| Posterior | The back surface of the body; the side away from you in the standard anatomic position. |
| Stroke Volume | The volume of blood ejected with each ventricular contraction. |
| Superior | The part of the body or any body part nearer to the head. |
| Sympathetic Nervous System | The part of the autonomic nervous system that controls active functions such as responding to fear (also known as "fight-or-flight" system). |
| Syncope | A fainting spell or transient loss of consciousness. |
| Tachycardia | A rapid heart rate, more than 100 beats per minute. |
| Thromboembolism | A blood clot that has formed within a blood vessel and is floating within the blood stream. |
| Ventricle | One of two (right and left) lower chambers of the heart. |
| Left Ventricle | Receives blood from the left atrium (upper chamber) and delivers the blood to the aorta. |
| Right Ventricle | Receives blood from the right atrium (upper chamber) and pumps it into the pulmonary artery. |
| Ventricular Fibrillation | Disorganized, ineffective twitching of the ventricles, resulting in no blood flowand a state of cardiac arrest. |
| Ventricular Tachycardia | A rapid heart rhythm in which the electrical impulse begins in the ventricles (instead of the atrium), which may result in inadequate blood flow and eventually deteriorate into cardiac arrest. |
