acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

sudden development of cardiac muscle infarction resulting in dead tissue that causes impaired cardiac function

angiogram

fluoroscopic view of vessels following injection of a dye for visualization

aorta

the largest artery in the body: it carries oxygenated blood directly from the   ventricle

arrhythmia

a disturbance in cardiac rhythm

artery

a blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart

Artrioventricular (AV) node

an area of specialized tissue that conducts the electrical impulse from the atria into the ventricles; abbreviated as AV node

atria

either of the two upper chambers of the heart  

blood pressure

pressure of the blood against the walls of the main arteries  

bradycardia

abnormally slow heart rate

cardiac catheterization

a procedure in which a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin or arm and passed into the heart

cardiac cycle

the two phases of a heart beat, systole and diastole

cardiac output

amount of blood expelled by the heart per minute

cardiomyopathy

a disease affecting the muscle of the heart itself

cardiovascular system

the heart and blood vessels; also circulatory system

cardioversion

electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat when ventricular fibrillation occurs

cholesterol

a circulating lipid that can become a major component of plaque

circulatory system

the heart and blood vessels, also cardiovascular system

congenital

existing at birth

coronary artery

artery supplying blood to the heart

coronary artery disease

disease in which the coronary arteries become occluded and cannot supply the myocardium with the necessary amount of oxygen

defibrillator

a device that is used to administer an electrical shock in the treatment of ventricular fibrillation

diabetic mellitus

metabolic disease resulting in elevated levels of glucose (sugar) in blood and urine

diastole

that portion of the cardiac cycle when the heart relaxes between contractions

diastolic blood pressure

the pressure within the arterial system at the time the heart is relaxing between beats

echocardiography

a noninvasive diagnostic procedure that produces moving images of the heart using ultrasound techniques

ejection fraction

the percentage of blood in a given portion of the ventricle that is ejected each time the ventricle contracts

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

a tracing that represents the electrical activity of the heart - also ECG or EKG

electrophysiology

branch of medicine that focuses the electrical conduction system of the heart and its abnormalities

endocardium

delicate membrane that lines the heart chamber  

endothelium

a single layer of cells that line the heart and blood vessels

fibrillation

rapid, uncoordinated contractions of a heart chamber resulting in a quivering or twitching action of the atria or ventricles

fluoroscopy

a technique that permits the viewing of x-ray images on a fluorescent screen

heart attack

lay term for myocardial infarction

heart block

a condition in which the conduction of electrical impulses through the AV node is impaired

heart failure

a condition in which the ventricles fail to pump a sufficient amount of blood to meet the needs of the tissues

heart rate

the number of times the heart beats per minute

holter monitoring

continuous ECG tracings recorded on a very slowly moving tape by a portable battery operated device - which the patient can "wear"

hypertension

elevated blood pressure

infarction

death of tissue

inferior vena cava

the major vein that drains venous blood from the lower portion of the body into the right atrium

interventional cardiology

the use of catheterization-based techniques to treat, rather than merely to diagnose - various forms of heart disease

ischemia

reduction in blood supply -any tissue receiving a reduced blood supply and therefore not enough oxygen

myocardium

the muscle of the heart

pericardium

the membrane surrounding the heart

plaque

an area within an artery that bulges   and obstructs the blood flow  

premature ventricular contraction

extra beat that arises from distant sites within the ventricle - abbreviated as PVC

pulmonary valve

valve between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery

pulmonary vein

the blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left ventricle

an area of specialized cells in the right atrium in which the electrical impulse that initiates the heart beat is originated

the muscular wall that separates the right heart from the left heart

the normal rhythm of the heart that originates at the sinus node

stress test

electrocardiography that is done in conjunction with graded progressive exercise

stroke volume

the amount of blood that is ejected from the ventricles with each beat of the heart

superior vena cava

the major vein that drains venous blood from the upper portion of the body into the right atrium

systole

that portion of the cardiac cycle when the heart contracts or beats

systolic blood pressure

the pressure within the atria system at the time the heart is contracting

tachycardia

abnormally rapid heart rate

tricuspid valve

the atrioventricular valve on the right side of the heart

vein

a blood vessel that carries blood toward the heart

ventricle

a pumping chamber of the heart

ventricular fibrillation

a potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia in which the muscle fibers of the ventricle beat extremely rapidly and without and regularity or coordination

ventricular tachycardia

rapid heart rate that occurs/originates in the ventricle