Cardio

• Pulse


  The expansion and contraction of an artery in a regular, rhythmic pattern
• Blood pressure


  The pressure exerted by the circulating volume of blood on the walls of the arteries, the veins, and the chambers of the heart
• Cardiac output


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


  The amount of blood ejected with each heartbeat multiplied by the number of beats per minute
• Contractility


  The ability of the myocardium to contract normally
• Preload


  The stretching of muscle fibers in the ventricles, resulting 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
• Calculating cardiac output


  1. Stroke volume

  2. Heart rate
• Systolic blood pressure


  The blood pressure caused by the contraction phase or systole of the left ventricle of the heart
• Diastolic blood pressure


  The pressure during the heart's relaxation phase, or diastole
• Pulse pressure


  The numerical difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure (normal 30 to 40 mm/hg)
• Cyanosis


  A bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes that result 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
• Cardiac troponin test


  A blood sample used to measure the cardiac protein called troponin, the most precise way to diagnose an MI
• Cardiac catheterization


  A diagnostic procedure in which a catheter is inserted into a large vein and then threaded through the vein 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
• Radionuclide scan


  A test that helps to measure heart function and damage by injecting a mildly radioactive material into the patient's blood stream and using computer generated pictures to locate the radioactive elements in the heart

  
• Thallium stress test


  Helps diagnose coronary artery disease by giving the patient a thallium isotope IV after a treadmill stress test
• Arrhythmia


  The lack of normal heart rhythm
• Atrial flutter


  An arrhythmia in which 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
• Atrial septal defect


  An opening between the 2 atria, causing blood to shunt from the left to the right atrium
• Coarctation of the aorta

  Narrowing of the aortic lumen, resulting in high pressure above and low pressure below the stricture
• 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


  Occurs commonly in the aorta but can happen in any vessel, resulting in ruptured blood vessels
• 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