Glossary

Glossary of Terms (Cardiovascular) 

• 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. 

• Aorta: the body’s largest artery. It carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. 

• Arrhythmia: an abnormal heartbeat.

• Arteriosclerosis: when artery walls thicken and lose elasticity. Sometimes called “hardening of the arteries.”

• Artery: a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body. • Atherosclerosis: the buildup of plaque within artery walls.

• Atria (singular: atrium): the heart’s two upper chambers. They 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 (serum) cholesterol: a fatty substance produced by the body and carried in the blood. Can build up within artery walls as plaque.

• Blood pressure: a measurement indicating the force of blood as it presses against artery walls while moving through vessels. 

• Blood vessels: tubes that carry blood throughout the body. Arteries and veins are blood vessels. 

• Bypass: a new pathway for blood flow.

• CABG (pronounced “cabbage”): another term for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. 

• Cardiomyopathy: weakening of, or structural change in, the heart muscle that reduces the heart’s ability to pump.

• Catheter: a long, thin, flexible plastic tube. 

• Coronary arteries: blood vessels that wrap around the heart and supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. 

• Coronary artery disease: blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. 

• Diastolic pressure: the pressure of blood against the inside of artery walls between heartbeats. Appears as the bottom number in a blood pressure measurement. 

• Electrocardiogram: a test that records the way electrical signals move through the heart. Often called an ECG or EKG. 

• Heart attack: an event that occurs when oxygen-rich blood can’t get to part of the heart muscle. Can cause permanent damage.

• Hypertension: another word for “high blood pressure.”

• Myocardial infarction: death of heart muscle tissue. Also known as a heart attack. 

• Plaque: a deposit of fatty material (including cholesterol) within artery walls. 

• Pulmonary artery: the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen.

• Stenosis: the narrowing of an artery, often caused by plaque buildup. 

• Stroke: a blockage or rupture in a blood vessel that cuts off blood flow to part of the brain. May cause brain damage. Also known as a brain attack or CVA (cerebrovascular accident). 

• Systolic pressure: the pressure of blood against the inside of artery walls during a heartbeat (when the heart pumps). Appears as the top number in a blood pressure measurement. 

• Ultrasound: a test that uses sound waves to create images of structures inside the body. 

• Valves: “doorways” that open and close to let blood move and prevent back flow of blood. There are valves between the heart’s chambers. 

• Vein: a blood vessel that carries blood from the body back to the heart. • Ventricles: the heart’s two lower chambers. They pump blood to the body and lungs.