NCM 101 CARDIOVASCULAR ASSESSMENT

• Cardiac output


  The amount of blood pumped out by the heart in 1 minute, determined by stroke volume
• Stroke volume


  The amount of blood ejected with each heartbeat
• Contractility


  The ability of the myocardium to contract normally
• Preload


  The stretching of muscle fibers in the ventricles from the volume of blood in the ventricles at the end of diastole
• Afterload


  The pressure the ventricular muscle must generate to overcome the higher pressure in the aorta
• Pulse


  The expansion and contraction of an artery in a regular, rhythmic pattern caused by the left ventricle ejecting blood
• Blood pressure


  The pressure exerted by the circulating volume of blood on the walls of the arteries, veins, and the chambers of the heart, maintained by the homeostatic mechanisms of the body
• Calculating cardiac output


  1. Stroke volume

  2. Heart rate
• The heart rate and stroke volume vary considerably among people
• Systolic blood pressure is the blood pressure caused by the contraction phase or systole of the left ventricle of the heart
• Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure during the heart's relaxation phase, or diastole
• Cyanosis


  A bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes from an excessive amount of deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood
• Pallor


  Paleness or a decrease or absence of color in the skin
• Edema


  The accumulation of abnormal amounts of fluids in the intercellular tissue, pericardial sac, pleural cavity, peritoneal cavity, or joint capsules
• Diaphoresis


  Profuse perspiration associated with an elevated body temperature, physical exertion, heat exposure and mental or emotional stress
• Activated partial thromboplastin time


  A test to measure the time required for formation of a fibrin clot
• Cardiac enzymes


  Tests used to determine if cardiac tissue has been damaged, normally present in high concentrations in the heart and released into the bloodstream during cardiac trauma
• Cardiac troponin test


  A blood sample used to measure the cardiac protein called troponin, the most precise way to diagnose a myocardial infarction
• Cardiac catheterization


  A diagnostic procedure where a catheter is inserted into a large vein and threaded to the patient's heart
• Angiocardiography


  Creates an x-ray of the heart and great vessels after injection of contrast medium into a blood vessel or one of the heart chambers
• Angiography


  Produces an x-ray of the blood vessels after injection of radiopaque contrast medium
• Arrhythmias


  • Arrhythmia
  • Atrial flutter
  • Bradycardia
  • Fibrillation
  • Heart block
  • Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia
  • Tachycardia
• Arrhythmia


  The lack of normal heart rhythm
• Atrial flutter


  An arrhythmia in which the atrial rhythm is regular, but the rate is 250-400 bpm
• Bradycardia


  A slow heartbeat, usually less than 60 beats per minute
• Fibrillation


  An uncoordinated, irregular contraction of the heart muscle, which may originate in the atria
• Heart block


  An impaired conduction of the heart's electrical impulses, commonly leading to a slow heartbeat
• Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia


  An arrhythmia in which the atrial and ventricular rate are regular and exceed 160 beats per minute
• Tachycardia


  A heartbeat greater than 100 bpm
• Radionuclide scan


  A test that helps measure heart function and damage, using a mildly radioactive material injected into the patient's bloodstream
• Thallium stress test


  A test that helps diagnose coronary artery disease, where the patient is given a thallium isotope IV after a treadmill stress test
• Atrial septal defect


  An opening between the 2 atria, where blood shunts from the left to the right due to the slightly higher left atrial pressure
• Endocarditis


  A bacterial or fungal infection of the heart valves
• Myocarditis


  An inflammation of the heart muscle that can be acute or long term
• Pericarditis


  An inflammation of the pericardium (protective sac)
• Rheumatic fever


  A childhood disease caused by streptococcal bacteria
• Aneurysm


  The occurrence of a ruptured blood vessel, commonly in the aorta
• Stenosis


  A thickening of valvular tissue that results in narrow valve openings
• Coronary artery disease


  Occurs when the arteries that serve the heart are obstructed or narrowed
• Coronary artery bypass graft


  Surgery that restores circulation when occluded coronary arteries prevent normal blood flow to the heart muscle