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Cardiology Related Terms

- C -

  • C/P

  • Cardiopulmonary.

  • CABG

  • Coronary artery bypass graft.

  • CABRI

  • Coronary artery bypass revascularization investigation.

  • CAD

  • Coronary artery disease.

  • Calcium channel blocker

  • Drug that blocks entry of calcium into cells and inhibits the contractility of smooth muscle, resulting in dilation of blood vessels and reduction in blood pressure.

  • Cannula(E)

  • Tubes or catheters placed in the great vessels or cardiac chambers to allow decompression or selective propulsion of blood flow to the structure or vessel.

  • Capillaries

  • The smallest blood vessels in the body that connect arterioles and venules.

  • Capillary

  • Any of the tiny, thin-walled tubes that carry blood between arteries and veins.

  • Carbonic acid(H2CO3)

  • An weak acid resulting from the reaction of h20 and co2 to form h2co3 which dissociates into h+ and hco3-.

  • Carbonic anhydrase

  • An enzyme found primarily in the kidney and red blood cells that accelerates the reversible reaction of h20 and co2 to form h2co3-.

  • Cardiac

  • The word 'cardiac' is used as an adjective to describe a condition of the heart. Examples: Cardiac arrest refers to a heart attack, while cardiac surgery refers to surgery of the heart.

  • Cardiac catheterization

  • Passage of a catheter into the heart through a blood vessel leading to the heart for the purpose of measuring intracardiac pressure abnormalities, obtaining cardiac blood samples, and/or imaging cardiac structures by injection of radio-opaque dye.

  • Cardiac index

  • Cardiac output normalized to body surface area or body weight.

  • Cardiac mortality

  • Death due to cardiac cause.

  • Cardiac output

  • The volume of blood displaced by the left ventricle over one minute.

  • Cardiogenic shock

  • Failure to maintain blood supply to the tissues because of inadequate cardiac output, such as may be caused in myocardial infarction.

  • Cardiomegaly

  • Hypertrophy of the heart.

  • Cardiomyopathy

  • A general diagnostic term designating primary myocardial disease.

  • Cardioplegia

  • Interruption of myocardial contraction, as by use of chemical compounds or cold in cardiac surgery.

  • Cardiopulmonary

  • Pertaining to the heart and lungs.

  • Cardiopulmonary bypass

  • Use of an extracorporeal circuit to circulate blood around the heart and lungs.

  • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

  • An emergency measure to maintain a person's breathing and heartbeat when they have stopped as a result of myocardial infarction, trauma, or other disorder.

  • Cardiotomy

  • 1. Surgical opening in the heart

  • Carditis

  • An inflammation of the heart. May also be used with the term myocarditis, with 'myo' referring to muscle, 'cardio' (card) referring to the heart and 'itis' referring to the inflammation. Myocarditis may be secondary to a number of diseases such as viral infections, or as a consequence of rheumatic fever.

  • Carotid

  • Referring to the large arteries in the neck carrying blood to the brain and scalp.

  • Catecholamine

  • Any of a group of sympathomimetic amines (including dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine).

  • Cath

  • Catheterization.

  • CAVH

  • Continuous arterio-venous hemofiltration.

  • CBC

  • Complete blood count.

  • CCP

  • Certified cardiovascular perfusionist; the professional credential for the certified perfusion technologist.

  • CCSC

  • Canadian cardiovascular society classification.

  • CCU

  • Coronary care unit.

  • Cerebral

  • Referring to the cerebellium or brain.

  • CHD

  • Congenital heart disease.

  • Chest Drain / Chest Tube

  • A hollow plastic tube that is inserted into the chest cavity to remove or allow the drainage of fluid from that portion of the chest cavity. Chest tubes are routinely placed into the chest after most open heart surgeries to allow the drainage of fluid from around the heart and lungs. They are removed when the drainage becomes minimal.

  • Chest Tube Insertion

  • A procedure in which a chest tube is inserted, usually via a small incision between the ribs, into a portion of the chest cavity. Chest tubes are places to remove abnormal collections air, blood, or fluids that can compromise normal lung and heart function. The chest tubes are inserted under local anesthesia and sedation. The tubes are connected to a closed system and allow drainage or removal of the blood, fluid or air away from the heart and lungs, allowing resumption of normal function.

  • CHF

  • Congestive heart failure.

  • Cholesterol

  • Chol, a monatomic alcohol found in animal fats and oils, bile, blood, brain tissue, milk, egg yolk, myelin sheaths of nerves, liver, kidneys and adrenal glands, increased blood levels of which are a risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease.

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

  • Group of conditions in which the patient has an expiratory airflow obstruction such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema.

  • Circ art

  • Circumflex artery.

  • Circulatory System

  • A term used to describe the body�s circulation of blood. The circulatory system is composed of the heart, the arteries, the veins and the lungs. A simplified description of the circulation of blood is as follows: All of the body�s organs require oxygen and nutrients which are delivered by the blood. The body�s blood is circulated and pumped by the heart and the blood is transported in the arteries and veins of the body. The lungs add Oxygen and remove the CO2 from the blood. The circulatory system is a continuous cycle of blood being returned to the heart, the CO2 being removed, Oxygen added and then being pumped out again. The circulation of blood is as follows: The blood, after being 'used' by the body�s organs, returns to the right atrium of the heart via the veins of the body. As the 'used' blood enters the right atrium, it flows and is pumped into the right ventricle. The right ventricle then pumps the blood to the lungs, where the lungs remove the CO2 and add Oxygen. The newly oxygenated blood then flows to the left atrium, where it is then pumped to the left ventricle. The left ventricle is the real workhorse of the heart, pumping newly oxygenated blood back out to the body�s organs, which then extract the oxygen for their function and discard the CO2 which becomes a by-product of metabolism. The 'used' blood is then carried back to the right atrium to start the cycle again..

  • Clot

  • See thrombus.

  • Clotting Of Blood

  • Formation of a sticky mass to stop the flow of blood.

  • CMV

  • Cytomegalovirus.

  • CO

  • Cardiac output.

  • Coag

  • Coagulation.

  • Coar/Ao

  • Coarctation of the aorta.

  • Colloidal osmotic pressure (COP)

  • The osmotic force due to the presence of proteins or other large molecular weight substances.

  • Co-morbidity

  • Concomitant but unrelated pathologic or disease process,usually used to indicate coexistence of two or more disease processes.

  • Compensation

  • The process where one acid base imbalance offsets another imbalance in an effort to bring the ph back within normal limits. Ex. Metabolic acidosis with a [hco3-] less than 22 meq/l causes tachypnea causing a pco2 less than 35 mmhg (respiratory alkalosis).

  • Congenital

  • Present at birth. Example: congenital heart disease (heart disease present at birth).

  • Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

  • A condition that is secondary to poor heart function, resulting in a number of physiologic sequelae that are secondary to the 'congestion' of blood not being adequately pumped by the heart. Congestive heart failure can be secondary to many causes. Despite the cause, the physiologic consequences are very similar. As noted in the definition of 'CIRCULATORY SYSTEM', the heart and lungs are responsible for circulating the blood to and from the body�s organs. When a condition causes 'CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE', it is secondary to the heart�s inability to adequately pump the blood. As a consequence of the blood not being pumped adequately, the blood returning to the heart causes increased pressures in the lungs and the veins of the body. A non-clinical analogy would be a traffic jam on a highway. Because of these increased pressures in the lungs and veins, some of the fluid in the blood can 'leak' into the surrounding tissues or lung, making it difficult to breath, or causing an accumulation of fluid in the legs, which is known as edema. Common causes of congestive heart failure are valvular heart disease, such as aortic insufficiency, mitral insufficiency or a significant heart attack..

  • Constrictive Pericarditis

  • A condition in which the pericardium, the fibrous sac that envelops the heart, becomes excessively thick and constricts the heart. This constriction prevents the heart from adequately filling, which leads to inadequate and poor heart function. (See Pericardium, Pericarditis). If the constriction is significant, surgery is performed to remove the thickened pericardium and release the constriction of the heart. This operation is known as a pericardiectomy.

  • COP

  • Colloidal osmotic pressure.

  • COPD

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

  • Coronary

  • The word 'coronary' is used to describe the blood vessels that supply the heart with its blood and oxygen. Most often this refers to the arteries of the heart, but the veins of the heart are also referred to as coronary veins. In general, 'coronary' refers to the heart.

  • Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)

  • A section of vein usually from the patient�s leg or an artery from the inside of the patient�s chest that is used to create an alternative pathway for blood to reach the heart muscle. The vein or artery is connected or 'grafted' to the diseased coronary artery, thereby creating an alternative pathway for blood to deliver important nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle.

  • Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

  • A surgical operation in which the surgeon uses a section of vein, usually from the patient�s leg or an artery from inside the patient�s chest to create a new route for oxygen-rich blood to reach the heart muscle. The vein or artery used is the bypass graft. One end of the vein or artery is connected to the coronary artery that is blocked or narrowed beyond the blockage or narrowed area. The other end of the vein is connected to the aorta. Usually the other end of the artery is left connected to the main artery from which it branches. By creating this new conduit for blood flow to the heart muscle the graft is said to 'bypass' the narrowed or blocked section of the coronary artery in question.

  • Coronary Artery Disease / Coronary Disease

  • A disease state of the coronary arteries, which is a consequence of a more generalized disease process known as atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as 'hardening of the arteries'. Coronary artery disease results from a buildup of minerals, fatty deposits and other blood components in the walls of the arteries. As this buildup continues, the lumen, or opening, of the artery becomes progressively smaller and eventually becomes narrow enough to affect the flow of blood through the artery. If the flow of blood is significantly impaired for a long enough period of time the heart muscle can become compromised and a heart attack ensues.

  • Coronary sinus

  • The opening into the right atrium to which the veins of the left coronary circulation drain.

  • Coronary stenosis

  • Narrowing or constriction of any arteries, orifices or chambers leading into or from the heart.

  • Coronary thrombus

  • Blood clot that obstructs a blood vessel of the heart.

  • CPB

  • Cardiopulmonary bypass.

  • CPK

  • Creatine phosphokinase.

  • CPR

  • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

  • CRF

  • Chronic renal failure.

  • CRI

  • Chronic renal insufficiency.

  • Cross Matching Of Blood

  • The process that a hospital or blood bank goes through to determine if blood that is to be transfused to a patient is compatible with the patient�s blood type. There are numerous combinations of blood types that are compatible with each other, but it is vitally important that any blood that is transfused to a patient has been properly 'matched' so that it is compatible to the patient�s blood.

  • Cross-matching

  • The mixing of a donor's blood with a potential recepient's blood to test for compatibility.

  • Cryoprecipitate

  • The thin white layer obtained from freezing and thawing blood.

  • CTICU

  • Cardiothoracic intensive care unit.

  • CVP

  • Central venous pressure.

  • Cyanosis

  • A term used to describe the color of a patient�s skin who is not getting enough oxygen. Generally, this condition is more noticeable in people who have light or fair complexions. Cyan is a bluish green color. If the patient�s blood is not being adequately oxygenated and the blood in the tissues is dark red to purple, the skin appears bluish, hence the name cyanosis. Cyanosis is sometimes seen with some congenital heart conditions.

  • Cyst

  • A fluid-filled sac or mass. The cyst may contain blood, other body fluids, infected fluid (pus) or gases.

  • Cystic Fibrosis

  • A chronic disease of the glands of secretion. It may seriously affect respiratory passages, pancreas and liver, and sweat glands.


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Cardio Terms


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