Glossary of Terms
Angina: Symptoms that occur when the heart muscle can’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. Often appears as pressure, tightness, aching, or pain in the chest, arm, neck, or jaw.
Angiogram: A special x-ray of a blood vessel.
Angioplasty: A procedure in which a balloon is used to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels of the heart.
Ankle-brachial Index: A painless exam that measures blood pressure at the ankle and in the arm while a person is at rest.
Atherosclerosis: A form of Arteriosclerosis in which the inner layers of artery walls become thick and irregular due to deposits of fat, cholesterol and other substances.
Artery: A blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body.
Atria: The two upper chambers of the heart that receive blood from the lungs and body.
Balloon Angioplasty: A procedure that uses a balloon-tipped catheter to open an artery narrowed or blocked by plaque.
Blood Pressure: The force exerted by the heart against the walls of the arteries.
Body Mass Index (BMI): A formula to assess a person’s body weight relative to height.
Bradycardia: Slowness of the heart rate (less than 60 beats per minute).
C-Reactive Protein: A blood test that measures the concentration of C-reactive protein that rises in the blood with inflammation from certain conditions. It is an important indicator of heart disease.
CABG (pronounced “cabbage”): Another term for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Catheter: A long, thin, flexible plastic tube.
Cardiac: Pertaining to the heart.
Cardiac Arrest: The sudden, abrupt loss of heart function.
Cardiac Catheterization: The process of examining the heart by guiding a thin tube (catheter) into a vein or artery and passing it into the heart and the coronary arteries.
Cardiomyopathy: A serious disease that involves inflammation in, and reduced function of, the heart muscle.
Cardiovascular Rehabilitation: A medically supervised program to help heart patients recover quickly and improve their overall physical and mental functioning.
Cardiologist: A doctor who diagnoses and treats heart problems.
Cardiology: The study of the heart and its functions in health and disease.
Cardiovascular: Pertains to the heart and blood vessels.
Carotid Artery Stent: The carotid artery is a major artery in the neck that carries blood to the brain. Carotid angioplasty is used to open a narrowed artery to allow more blood to flow through it to help prevent stroke.
Cardiovascular Disease: Refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels.
Cerebral Hemorrhage: Bleeding within the brain resulting from a ruptured aneurysm or a head injury.
Cholesterol: A soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all the body’s cells.
Chronic Illness: An illness or condition that develops slowly and persists for a long time.
Clinical Nurse Specialist: An advanced practice nurse with special expertise in patient care, family education and staff support.
Congestive Heart Failure: A common form of heart failure that results in a patient retaining excessive fluid.
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (Bypass Surgery): Surgery that reroutes blood around clogged coronary arteries and improves the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD): Disease of the heart caused by atherosclerotic narrowing of the coronary arteries likely to produce chest pain or heart attack.
Diabetes: A condition in which the body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should, or both.
Diastolic Blood Pressure: The pressure of blood against the inside of artery walls between heartbeats. It appears as the bottom number in a blood pressure measurement.
Echocardiography: A diagnostic method in which a hand-held device is placed on the chest and high-frequency sound waves are used to produce images of the heart’s size, structure and motion.
Electrocardiogram (ECG): A quick, painless test that records the electrical activity of the heart.
Exercise Stress Test: A diagnostic test in which a person walks on a treadmill or pedals a stationary bike while hooked to equipment that monitor the heart.
HDL Cholesterol (High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol): Often called “good” cholesterol because it seems to protect against heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.
Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction): Death of or damage to part of the heart muscle due to an insufficient blood supply.
Heart Failure: The inability of the heart to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body.
Heart Rate: The heart contracts as the electrical impulse moves through it. This normally occurs 60 to 100 times a minute.
Hemorrhagic Stroke (Brain Hemorrhage): This occurs when a blood vessel or an aneurysm bursts in the brain.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): A chronic increase in blood pressure above normal range. Defined as systolic pressure 140 mm Hg or greater and/or diastolic pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, taking antihypertensive medication, or being told at least twice by a physician or other health professional that one has HBP.
LDL Cholesterol (Low-Density Lipoprotein): Often called “bad” cholesterol. If too much LDL cholesterol circulated in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries.
Lipid: A fatty substance insoluble in blood.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): An imaging procedure that uses powerful magnets to look inside the body.
Metabolic Syndrome: A group of risk factors high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol levels, and belly fat that increases risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Morbidity: Incidence and prevalence rates are both measures of morbidity which measures of various effects of disease on a population.
Mortality: The total number of deaths from a given disease in a population during an interval of time, usually one year.
Obesity: An excess of body fat.
Overweight: A body mass index of 25kg/m2 (about 10 percent over ideal body weight.
Palpitations: The sensation of the heart beating rapidly or irregularly.
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the pericardium, which is the sac-like covering of the heart.
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): A type of peripheral vascular disease that affects blood circulation mainly in the arteries leading to the legs and feet.
Pulmonary: Pertaining to the lungs.
Pulmonary Edema: Fluid buildup in the lungs usually due to mitral stenosis or left ventricular failure.
Pulmonary Stenosis (PS): A congenital heart defect in which the pulmonary valve is defective.
Reperfusion Therapy: Techniques used to restore blood flow to part of the heart muscle damaged during a heart attack.
Risk Factor: An element or condition involving certain hazard or danger. When referring to the heart and blood vessels, a positive risk factor is associated with an increased chance of developing cardiovascular disease including stroke.
Stenosis: The narrowing of an artery, often caused by plaque buildup.
Stent Procedure: Using a wire mesh tube (stent) to prop open an artery that has recently been cleared using angioplasty.
Stroke: An interruption of blood flow to the brain causing paralysis, slurred speech and/or altered brain function.
Systolic Blood Pressure: The pressure of blood against the inside of artery walls during a heartbeat (when the heart pumps). It appears as the top number in a blood pressure measurement.
Tachycardia: An abnormally fast heartbeat of more than 100 beats per minute.
Thrombolysis: The breaking up of a blood clot.
Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA):One of several clot-dissolving drugs used during a heart attack or stroke to restore blood flow in a blocked artery.
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA): Known as a mini-stroke, TIA is caused by a temporary disturbance of blood supply to an area of the brain.
Triglyceride: The chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body.
Valves: “Doorways” that open and close to let blood move and prevent backflow of blood. There are valves between the heart’s chambers.
Vascular: Pertaining to blood vessels.
Vasodilator: A group of drugs that cause the muscle in the walls of the blood vessels to relax, allowing them to widen.
Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood from the body back to the heart.
Ventricles: The two lower chambers of the heart that pump blood to the body and lungs.