Cardiovascular Disorders Glossary

Term	Definition	Pronunciation
occlusion	A closing off or obstruction, as of a vessel	uh-KLOO-zhun
plaque	A patch. With regard to the cardiovascular system, a deposit of fatty material and other substances on a vessel wall that impedes blood flow and may block the vessel; atheromatous plaque	plok
dyspnea	Difficult or labored breathing (-pnea)	DISP-nee-oh
embolism	Obstruction of a blood vessel by a blood clot or other matter carried in the circulation	EM-bo-lizm
embolus	A mass carried in the circulation. Usually a blood clot, but also may be air, fat, bacteria, or other solid matter from within or from outside the body	EM-bo-lus
edema	Swelling of body tissues caused by the presence of excess fluid. Causes include cardiovascular disturbances, kidney failure, inflammation, and malnutrition	e-DE-mo
fibrillation	Spontaneous, quivering, and ineffectual contraction of muscle fibers, as in the atria or the ventricles	fib-ri-LAY-shun
hypertension	A condition of higher-than-normal blood pressure. Essential (primary, idiopathic) hypertension has no known cause	hy-per-TEN-shun
infarct	An area of localized tissue necrosis (death) resulting from a blockage or a narrowing of the artery that supplies the area	in-FARKT
ischemia	Local deficiency of blood supply caused by circulatory obstruction (root: hem/o)	is-KEE-mee-oh
cyanosis	Bluish discoloration of the skin caused by lack of oxygen	sy-uh-NO-sis
phlebitis	Inflammation of a vein	fle-BY-tis
deep vein thrombosis (DVT)	Thrombophlebitis involving the deep veins
bradycardia	A slow heart rate, of less than 60 bpm	brad-e-KAR-de-uh
tachycardia	An abnormally rapid heart rate, usually over 100 bpm	tak-i-KAR-de-uh
myocardial infarction (MI)	Localized necrosis (death) of cardiac muscle tissue resulting from blockage or narrowing of the coronary artery that supplies that area. Myocardial infarction is usually caused by formation of a thrombus (clot) in a vessel	my-oh-KAR-de-al in-FARK-shun
rheumatic heart disease	Damage to heart valves after infection with a type of Streptococcus (group A hemolytic Streptococcus). The antibodies produced in response to the infection produce valvular scarring usually involving the mitral valve	ROO-mat-ik
septal defect	An opening in the septum between the atria or ventricles; a common cause is persistence of the foramen ovale (for-A-men o-VA-le), an opening between the atria that bypasses the lungs in fetal circulation	SEP-tal
heart failure	A condition caused by the inability of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation
angina pectoris	A feeling of constriction around the heart or pain that may radiate to the left arm or shoulder, usually brought on by exertion; caused by insufficient blood supply to the heart	an-JY-nuh PEK-tuh-ris
patent ductus arteriosus	Persistence of the ductus arteriosus after birth. The ductus arteriosus is a vessel that connects the pulmonary artery to the descending aorta in the fetus to bypass the lungs	PAY-tent DUK-tus ar-teer-ee-OH-sus