Circulatory System

• Medical Root Words of the Circulatory System 

  Angi - Blood vessel 

  Cyan - blue

  Sten - Narrow 

  Cardi - Heart 

  Aort - Aorta 

  Arter; arteri - Artery 

  Scler - Thick or hard; sclera 

  Coron - Crown or circle; heart

  Tens - pressure

  Isch - Hold back 

  Phleb - Vein 

  Varic -Dilated vein 

  Sphygm - Heartbeat 

  Vascul - Little blood vessel 
• Medical Prefixes for the Circulatory System 

  Hyper- 

  Excessive; abnormally high; above 

  Hypo- 

  Deficient; abnormally low; below
• Medical suffixes for the circulatory system 

  -emia - Condition of blood

  -spasm - Sudden involuntary muscle contraction

  -oma - tumor

  -pathy - disease

  -osis - Condition of

  -ion - process

  -itis - inflammation

  -graphy - Recording process
• Angiospasm

  • Abnormal muscular contractions of the smooth muscles that form the blood vessel walls. 

  Angiostenosis  

  • Narrowing of a blood vessel, which in turn causes a reduction of blood flow to the body.

  Cyanosis

  • A blue tinge of the skin and mucous membranes, usually caused by oxygen deficiency in the tissue.
• Aneurysm

  • An abnormal bulging of an arterial wall. 
  • An aneurysm may be a congenital defect (present at birth) or a weakness that has formed over time.

  Angioma

  • Describes a tumor arising from a blood vessel. It forms a benign

  mass or coloring of the skin. 
• Angiocarditis

  • inflammation of the heart and blood vessels. It is often the result of a widespread bacterial infection.

   

  Aortitis

  •       Inflammation of the aorta, often caused by a bacterial infection.
• Arteriosclerosis

  • ‘hardening of the arteries’

  
  

  Arteriopathy

  • A general term referring to any disease of the arteries.

  
  

  Atherosclerosis

  •       A specific type of arteriosclerosis, where a fatty plaque forms on the inner walls of the artery. It can be caused by too much cholesterol in a diet.
• Coronary Occlusion

  • A general term for blockage in an artery.

   

  Embolism

  • A blockage in an artery that forms when a blood clot or air bubble or fat particle moves through the circulatory system.
  • The actual clot or particle or bubble is called ‘embolus’

   

  Hemorrhoids

  •       Dilated veins in the anal area. They are painful and cause itching.
• Hypertension

  • Persistently high blood pressure.

    Essential hypertension is not traceable to a single cause; secondary hypertension is caused by another disease.

   

  Hypotension

  • Persistently low blood pressure.

   

  Ischemia

  •       An abnormally low flow of blood to the tissues, which may be congenital or caused by an occlusion.
• Phlebitis

  • An inflammation of a vein

   

   

  Varicosis

  •       An abnormally dilated vein. When blood flow valves do not work correctly, blood pools due to gravitational forces.
• Angiography

        A contrast medium is introduced into the bloodstream, and images called an ‘angiogram’ are taken by X-ray, MRI, or CAT scan.

   

  Angioplasty

  • surgical repair of a blood vessel.
  • balloon and laser

   

  Coronary Stent

  •   An artificial ‘spacer’ or ‘form’ that is used to hold open a vessel or prevent closure of an artery after angioplasty.
• Endarterectomy

    The surgical removal of the inner lining of an artery to remove fatty plaque.

   

  Sphygmomanometry

  • The process of measuring arterial blood pressure using an instrument called a sphygmomanometer.

  Phlebectomy

    The surgical removal of a vein.

   

  Phlebotomy

  •   Puncturing a vein to remove blood or for a donation of blood.
  •   Often called venipuncture
  •   A healthcare professional who performs this procedure is called a phlebotomist.
• Abbreviations associated with the circulatory system

   

  CAD (Coronary Artery Disease)

        A general term for any disease that affects the coronary arteries supplying the heart with blood.

   

  CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)

        The use of manual chest compressions to maintain circulation and artificial ventilation to restore breathing in order to revive a patient.

   

  CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft)

  •       Removing a blood vessel from one part of the body and inserting it in place of a blocked artery in another part of the body in order to restore circulation.