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Medical Terminology - Cardiovascular Disease
angi/o
arteri/o
brad/y—slow
cardi/o
cereb/o
cor—heart
cyan/o—blue
gram/o
hemangl/o
my/o—muscle
orrhex’s
phleb/o
scler/o—hard
tach/y—fast
thromb/o—clot
vas/o
varix—swollen vein
vena—vein
xanta/o—yellow
C.V. Diagnostic Terms
Aneurysm – weakened portion of a blood vessel wall
Arteriosclerosis – thickening/hardening of blood vessels and restricts blood flow
Atheroma – fatty deposit in the inner lining of an artery (occurs in atherosclerosis)
Atherosclerosis – refers to the build-up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in artery
walls (plaques)
Cardiac arrest – sudden stop in blood circulation due to failure of the heart to contract
Cardiac cachexia – CVD associated malnutrition or wasting syndrome characterized by
extreme skeletal muscle wasting, fatigue
Cardiomegaly – enlarged heart
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) – sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of
oxygen by blocked blood flow to the brain
Congestive heart failure – weakening of the heart to pump blood throughout the body
Coronary heart disease (CHD) – disease in which plaque builds-up within the coronary
arteries and restricts blood and oxygen flow through the narrowing of vessels
Dyslipidemia – disorder of lipoprotein metabolism (abnormal amount of lipids in blood)
Embolism – obstruction of an artery by a blood clot or air bubble
Fatty streaks – earliest form of atherosclerosis (cholesterol deposits in the walls of
arteries; visible lesions)
Homocysteine – amino acid found in the blood that is a breakdown product of protein
metabolism
Hypercholesterolemia – excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream
Hyperlipoproteinemia – inability to break down lipids, especially cholesterol and
triglycerides
Hypertension (HTN) – chronically elevated blood pressure (140/90mmHg or higher)
Ischemia – inadequate blood supply to an organ, especially the heart muscle
Myocardial infarction (MI) – heart attack (when blood flow is blocked to the heart)
Myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle
Plaque – semi-hardened accumulation, usually cholesterol plaque that builds-up and
blocks blood flow to the arteries
Thrombus – blood clot
C.V. Symptomatic Terms
Angina syndrome; angina pectoris – chest pain due to lack of blood flow to the heart
Anoxia – absence or deficiency of oxygen to an organ or tissue
Asystole – no cardiac electrical activity, contractions, or blood flow (no heart rhythm)
Bradycardia – abnormally slow heart beat
Cardia edema – swelling of soft tissues of the heart, causing pressure by increased
interstitial fluid resulting from congestive heart failure
Claudication – pain in arms and legs due to inadequate blood flow to those muscles
Ischemia – condition when there is a lack of blood flow to the brain to meet metabolic
demand
Palpitation – rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat
Systole – phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from
the chambers into the arteries
Tachycardia – faster than normal heart rate (>100 beats/min when resting)
Vasoconstriction – narrowing of blood vessels that results from contraction of the
muscular walls of the vessels
Vasodepression – reduction of tone in the blood vessels with vasodilation and resulting in
lowered blood pressure (hypotension)
Xanthoma – skin condition in which certain fats build-up under the skin due to high
blood lipids
C.V. Chart Abbreviations
CABG
AHA
AI
ASHD
atr
AV
BP
brady
BV
CAD
cardio
CBC
CCCR
CCU
CHD
CHF
Chol
CP
CPR
CVA
ECG, EKG
FFA
fib
HCVD
HTN, HPN
MI
MS
MVR
HTG
OHS
PA
PT
RHD
SOB
tach
TG
Throm
vent