Glossary

This glossary contains frequently used medical terminology relating to cardiac care.

Angina

Pain caused by narrowing of blood vessels supplying the heart.

Atherectomy

A procedure for opening coronary arteries blocked by plaque - the build-up of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the inner lining of an artery. Coronary Atherectomy uses a laser catheter or a rotating "shaver."

Cardiac Catheterization

A thin plastic tube, called a catheter, is guided through an artery or vein in the arm or leg and into the heart and the coronary arteries in the heart. The cardiac catheterization test can measure blood pressure and how much oxygen is in the blood and also provide other information about the pumping ability of the heart muscle or for treatment. See also Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Translumninal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA).

Cardiac Rehabilitation

A supervised program of exercise and education for heart disease patients and their families.

Cardiomyopathy

A serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should. Cardiomyopathy can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary cardiomyopathy cannot be attributed to a specific cause, such as hypertension, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenital heart defects. Secondary cardiomyopathy is due to specific causes and is often associated with diseases involving other organs as well as the heart. There are three principal types of cardiomyopathy - dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive. Dilated (congestive) is the most common form of cardiomyopathy.

Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit

The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit is a specialized nursing unit where heart patients go after surgery. Patients are connected to heart monitors that record the electrical rate amd rhythm of the patient's heart. Patients are also connected to a ventilator to provide oxygen and help the lungs to breathe. Family may visit with the permission of the patient's cardiologist.

Cardiovascular Step-Down Area

Patients are taken from the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit to the Cardiovascular Step-Down Area approximately 12 to 24 hours after surgery. This specialized nursing unit continues to monitor heart monitors through their hospital stay.

Congestive Heart Failure

A condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body's other organs. Also known as heart failure.

Coronary Angiography

When a catheter is used to inject dye into the coronary arteries. Also called coronary arteriography.

Coronary Arteries

The blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle.

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Also known as CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) Surgery done to reroute, or "bypass," blood around clogged arteries and improve the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. Arteries chosen for bypass surgery are often clogged by the buildup over time of fat, cholesterol and other substances. During bypass surgery, surgeons take a blood vessel from another part of the body and construct a detour around the blocked part of the coronary artery. A pump oxygenator (heart/lung machine) is used for nearly all coronary bypass graft operations.

Myocardial Infarction (or "Heart Attach")

Heart attacks result from coronary heart disease (CHD) - blood vessel disease in the heart. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle itself - the myocardium - is severely reduced or stopped.

Open Heart Surgery

Open heart surgery is performed on the heart while the bloodstream is diverted through a heart/lung machine. The surgery includes heart valve replacements, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries, heart transplants and other open heart procedures.

Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)

A procedure known as coronary artery balloon dilation, or balloon angioplasty. PTCA is a procedure used to dilate (widen) narrowed arteries. A doctor inserts a catheter with a deflated balloon at its tip into the narrowed part of the artery. Then the balloon is inflated, compressing the plaque and enlarging the inner diameter of the blood vessel so blood can flow more easily. Then the balloon is deflated and the catheter removed. It is a less traumatic and less expensive alternative to bypass surgery for some patients with coronary artery disease.

Stent Procedure

A procedure using a wire mesh tube, called a stent, to prop open an artery that has recently been cleared using angioplasty.

Valve Surgery

There are four valves in your heart. They are one-way doors that allow blood to travel in and out of the heart's chambers each time it beats. During surgery, valves can be replaced or repaired. Problems with valves can be caused by birth defects, rheumatic fever or an infection that has damaged or scarred the valves. A damaged valve causes your heart to pump harder. The mitral or aortic valves are the ones most often damaged.

References

• American Heart Association 1999, Heart and Stroke A-Z Guide.

• The American Medical Association, Encyclopedia of Medicine, Random House, 1989.

• Weaver, Litwin, Martin, Use of Direct Angioplasty for Treatment of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction in Hospitals With and Without On-Site Surgery, Circulation: 1993 [part 1]: 2067-2075.