cardiovascular and respiratory

• Alveoli


  Thin-walled air sacs; extend from bronchioles and are wrapped in capillaries
• Arrhythmia


  A problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat
• Atherosclerosis


  Buildup of plaque in arteries supplying the lower limbs; blood clots can form around the plaque in the artery
• Cardiac output


  A measure of how much blood is pumped by both ventricles in one minute; quantified as mL per minute
• Coronary artery


  Arteries that supply blood to the heart
• Empathy


  Understanding and experiencing the feelings of another person
• EKG


  Electrocardiogram; A measurement of heart electrical activity
• Diffusion


  Movement from higher to lower concentration
• Spirometry


  A test that measures how well the lungs are working by measuring how much air can be inhaled and exhaled
• Pulmonary edema


  A lung condition characterized by fluid buildup in the alveoli (air sacs) within the lungs
• Blood pressure


  The pressure that blood exerts upon the walls of blood vessels, especially arteries; measured with a sphygmomanometer in mmHg
• Diastolic


  The stage in a heartbeat when the heart is relaxed and the heart chambers fill with blood
• Systolic


  The stage in a heartbeat when contraction of the heart pushes blood out of the chambers and into the aorta and pulmonary artery
• Hyperventilation


  Rapid or deep breathing in response to stress on the body, usually caused by anxiety or panic; also called overbreathing
• Asthma


  When a person’s immune system is overly sensitive to airborne irritants and the muscles of the airways swell and inflame, making it hard to breathe
• EEG


  Test that measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp
• Pharynx


  Passageway through which air travels; air moves from it down through the trachea to the lungs
• Iliac artery


  Carry blood to lower extremities including legs, reproductive organs, pelvic region
• Carotid artery


  Left and right originate from different arteries but follow symmetrical paths up the neck where they branch to supply blood to the head; right carotid originates from the brachiocephalic artery, and the left originates from the aortic arch
• Arteries


  Blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all of the body's cells
• Pulse


  The rhythmic expansion and recoil of arteries resulting from heart contraction
• Diaphragm


  The muscle that sits underneath the lungs; contracts to draw oxygen into the lungs during inhalation and relaxes to push air out during exhalation
• PAD


  Pulmonary artery disease; a cardiovascular condition characterized by the loss of blood flow to the extremities, increasing the risk for blood clots
• Sphygmomanometer


  An instrument for measuring blood pressure, especially arterial blood pressure
• Heart rate


  A count of how many times the heart beats in a minute; quantified as beats per minute
• Larynx


  Voice box; sits on top of the trachea; known as Adam’s apple
• Veins


  Responsible for returning deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart
• Stroke volume


  The amount of blood being pumped out of the heart with each heartbeat; quantified as mL per beat; average is 75 mL/beat