Heart Disease and Heart Attacks
Brief Dictionary of Terms
AICD – An automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a type of pacemaker. Aneurysm Sac-like ballooning out of an artery wall, or scar tissue in the heart muscle.
Angina – Chest pain when the heart fails to get sufficient blood. Pain is usually a choking sensation which may spread to the jaw or arms.
Angiography – X-ray examination of the heart and coronary arteries. Under local anaesthetic, a catheter (fine tube) is passed to the heart and a dye shows up any narrowings or weaknesses. Also known as ‘cardiac catheterisation’.
Angioplasty – Method of removing narrowings in arteries by the temporary insertion of a catheter with a tiny balloon on it. The balloon is inflated to squash the narrowing out of the way.
Angiotensin – converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor Drug that lowers blood pressure and improves heart failure symptoms as well as life expectancy.
Anticoagulant – Drug that thins the blood (e.g. warfarin, heparin) and reduces its capacity to clot.
Antioxidant – Substance (e.g. vitamin C and E) which prevents fats becoming oxidised and thus allows the fats to build up on the arteries.
Aorta – Main artery which leaves the heart and runs down the back of the heart to the abdomen.
Aortic valve – Valve between the muscle pump on the left side of the heart (left ventricle) and the aorta.
Arrhythmia – Abnormal heartbeat.
Artery – Vessel carrying oxygen rich blood under pressure. Arterioles are small arteries.
Atheroma (atherosclerosis) – Fatty deposits on the lining of blood vessels (plaque).
Atria – Two upper chambers of the heart: left atrium and right atrium.
Atrial fibrillation – Chaotic heartbeats arising in the atria; always irregular.
Atrial septal defect – Hole in the heart between the right and left atria.
Atrioventricular node – Junction box in the electrical system of the heart, which helps prevent rapid heartbeats affecting the pump’s action by limiting the number of beats that can get through.
Automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator see defibrillator
Beta-blockers – Drugs that block adrenaline thereby slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. Used to treat angina, raised blood pressure, heart attacks and palpitations.
Biopsy – Removing a tissue sample.
Blood clot – Process where blood cells stick together like a jelly (or form a scab on the skin). It protects us from blood loss, but in the wrong place causes heart attacks.
Blood pressure – Pressure of the blood in the arteries.
Blood vessels – Tubes (arteries or veins) through which blood flows.
Brachial artery – Artery at the elbow used for blood pressure measurement.
Bradycardia – Slow heart rate (less than 60 beats per minute).
Bundle branch block – When one of the electric bundles in the heart is interrupted. There are two bundles, a right and left, and the block is described as right or left bundle branch block – abbreviated to RBBB or LBBB.
Calcium antagonist (or blocker) – Drugs that relax arteries by reducing calcium in the walls. Some also reduce irregular heartbeats. All lower blood pressure and help angina.
Capillaries – Smallest blood vessels joining arteries to veins.
Cardiac – Relating to the heart.
Cardiac arrest – A heart attack – when the heart suddenly stops beating and pumping blood.
Cardiac catheter – Fine tube threaded through an artery to the heart.
Cardiac enzymes – Enzymes looked for in a blood test to check for a heart attack.
Cardiac output – Amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute. Usually 5 litres.
Cardiology – Study of the heart in health and disease.
Cardiologist – Doctor specialising in heart disease – a physician not a surgeon.
Cardiomyopathy – Disease which weakens heart muscle.
Cardiopulmonary bypass – When a machine takes over the heart’s work of pumping during surgery.
Cardiovascular – Relating to the heart and its blood vessels.
Cardioversion – Electric shock treatment for the heart, attempting to convert irregular rhythm to normal.
Carotid arteries – Main arteries running up both sides of the neck to the brain.
Cerebral embolism – Blood clot which has travelled to the brain.
Cerebral haemorrhage – Bleeding into the brain from a ruptured blood vessel.
Cerebral thrombosis – Blood clot blocking an artery to the brain.
Cerebrovascular accident – Death of brain tissue from a clot or a bleed.
Cholesterol – Fatty substance needed for cell building. Too much causes narrowed arteries. See also High density lipoprotein; Low density lipoprotein.
Claudication – Pain in the legs while walking caused by a lack of oxygen mainly from narrowed arteries – ‘angina of the legs’.
Collateral circulation (‘collaterals’) – New small arteries which develop to bypass blocked ones.
Conduction system – Electrics of the heart.
Congenital defects – Heart problems (structural) that one is born with.
Congestive heart failure see – Heart failure
Coronary arteries – Arteries supplying blood to the heart.
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) – Surgery using veins or arteries to bypass narrowings or blockages in the coronary arteries.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) – Narrowing of the coronary arteries from fatty deposits.
Coronary thrombosis – Blood clot in a coronary artery usually leading to coronary artery narrowing.
Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) – Clots in the veins of the leg.
Defibrillator – Equipment that delivers electric shocks to correct abnormal heartbeats.
Diabetes – Disease caused by lack of insulin, in which the body is unable to store sugar. May be treated with insulin, or diet and drugs.
Diastole – Relaxation of the heart between beats when it is filling with blood.
Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) – Lower of the two blood pressure readings taken when the heart is relaxing.
Digoxin – Drug used to strengthen the heart and control atrial fibrillation.
Diuretic – Water tablet that increases passage of fluid through the kidneys.
Doppler ultrasound – Ultrasound technique used to study the speed and direction of blood flow. Sounds like a washing machine.
Dyspnoea – Shortness of breath.
Echocardiography (echo) – Painless means of studying the heart’s structure by bouncing ultrasound waves off the heart.
Ejection fraction (EF) – Medical measure of the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle (pumping chamber) with each heartbeat, usually over 50%.
Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) – Recording of the electrical activity of the heart.
Electrophysiological study (EPS) – Catheter test to evaluate the source of irregular heartbeats and to judge the effect of treatments.
Embolus – Blood clot which travels in the circulation. Can be in the vein or artery.
Endocarditis – Infection inside the heart on a valve or the lining of the heart.
Endothelium – Smooth inner lining of an artery.
Exercise test (‘treadmill’ test) – ECG measures the heart’s activity during exercise, usually on a treadmill. Used most often to diagnose coronary artery disease and assess its severity.
Fatty acids – Chemical parts of triglycerides.
Fibrillation – Erratic rapid contractions of the atria (atrial fibrillation) or ventricle (ventricular fibrillation). In ventricular fibrillation the heart stops.
Fibrinogen – Blood thickening agent which occurs naturally in the body.
Flutter (atrial) – A less erratic palpitation than atrial fibrillation.
Free radicals – Damaging molecules produced by normal body processes such as breathing (oxygen) and digestion. Antioxidants reduce their effects.
Haemorrhage – Bleeding.
Heart attack – Death of heart muscle from lack of blood supply.
Heart block – Slowing of the heart rate from an interrupted electrical circuit.
Heart failure – Known medically as congestive heart failure(CHF) or congestive cardiac failure (CCF)When the heart cannot meet the body’s demands usually because of heart muscle weakness. See also Congestive heart failure.
Heart-lung machine – Machine that pumps blood to and from the body during heart surgery and keeps it full of oxygen.
Heredity – Inherited by genetic means.
Hibernating myocardium – Muscle which works but looks to be dead.
High blood pressure – Serious increase in blood pressure.
High density lipoprotein (HDL) – ‘Good cholesterol’ involved in removing cholesterol from the blood and blood vessels.
Holter monitor 24-hour – ECG machine worn like a ‘Walkman’.
Hypercholesterolaemia – High cholesterol in the blood.
Hyperlipidaemia – High fats in the blood.
Hypertension – High blood pressure.
Hypotension – Low blood pressure.
Hypoxia – Lack of oxygen.
ICD see AICD
Immunosuppressive drugs – Medication used to stop the body rejecting a transplant.
Incompetence – Valve that is leaking.
Infarct – Scar tissue with permanent damage to the heart muscle.
Ischaemia – Inadequate blood supply usually caused by narrowed arteries.
Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is the consequence of ischaemia from narrowed coronary arteries.
Keloid – Overgrowth of an operation scar.
Lipids – Fats.
Lipoproteins – Proteins, acting like taxis, carrying fats.
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) – ‘Bad cholesterol’ which sticks to the artery walls.
Lumen – Inside of a tube.
Mitral valve – Valve between the left atrium and left ventricle.
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) – Floppy mitral valve causing one of the two leaflets to bulge backwards. This may cause a leak to occur but is often harmless.
Monounsaturated fat – Healthy sort of fat found in olive oil and peanut oil. Can lower LDL cholesterol.
Mortality rate – Number of deaths usually per year.
MRI see nuclear magnetic resonance
Murmur – Sound of blood flowing round, heard by a stethoscope. May be normal or point to disease. An echocardiogram will help diagnosis.
Myocardial biopsy – Taking a sample of heart muscle.
Myocardial infarction (MI) – Heart attack.
Myocardial ischaemia – Reduced (poor) blood supply to the heart muscle.
Myocardium – Heart muscle.
Necrosis – Death of body tissue.
Nitroglycerin – Drug used to relieve angina (e.g. glyceryl trinitrate – GTN).
Non-invasive – Means of diagnosis or treatment without the need for an incision.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) – Use of a magnetic field to take images of the heart and body. Also known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). NMR should not be undertaken if a pacemaker has been inserted but it can be used if a coronary stent is in place.
Obesity – Being overweight. Medical definition is 20% above the average for your height and weight.
Occluded artery – Totally blocked, may be acute or chronic.
Oedema – Fluid usually in the lungs or round the ankles.
Open heart surgery – Operation on the heart with the chest opened and a bypass machine used to pump the blood.
Pacemaker – Small electrical device implanted surgically that regulates the heartbeat usually preventing it going too slowly.
Palpitations – Out of the ordinary heartbeats. Can be rapid or missed or both.
Passive smoking – Breathing in (and being poisoned by) someone else’s cigarette smoke.
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) – Angioplasty using either a balloon or a stent.
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) – Long- winded term for angioplasty.
Pericarditis – Inflammation of the pericardium.
Pericardium – Smooth sac that surrounds the heart. When inflamed, it loses smoothness and becomes painful, leading to pericarditis.
Plaque – Fatty deposits on the inner lining of an artery.
Platelets – Small blood particles which stick together to form clots. Aspirin reduces their stickiness.
Polyunsaturated fat – Fat in most vegetable oils which is liquid at room temperature. Tends to lower LDL cholesterol.
Positron emission tomography (PET) – Imaging technique that tells us whether the heart muscle is alive and how it is functioning. A very expensive technique, so used sparingly.
Prophylaxis – Anticipation and prevention, usually with drugs.
Pulmonary – Relating to the lungs and breathing system.
Pulmonary valve – Valve between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery.
Regurgitation – Leaking, e.g. mitral regurgitation – a leaking mitral valve.
Renal – Relating to the kidneys.
Resuscitation – Reviving someone who seems to be dead by heart massage and mouth-to-mouth breathing.
Risk factor – Feature related to an increased chance of developing a disease (e.g. smoking and high cholesterol levels are risk factors for heart disease).
Saturated fat – Animal fat, solid at room temperature. Increases total and LDL cholesterol.
Septum – Muscle dividing the right from left side of the heart. A defect or hole in the heart is a ‘septal defect’.
Sestamibi scan – The same procedure as a thallium test.
Sinus node (sinoatrial or SA node) – The heart’s natural pacemaker or master switch.
Sodium – Sodium chloride is the chemical name for salt.
Sphygmomanometer – Machine to measure blood pressure.
Stenosis – Narrowing.
Stent – Meshwork tube inserted by a balloon into an artery, which, when expanded, holds an artery open. It is left in place. The balloon is removed.
Sternum – Breastbone.
Stethoscope – Instrument for listening to sounds in the body.
Streptokinase – Clot-dissolving drug.
Stroke – Damage to the brain as a result of interruption in the blood supply.
Syncope – Sudden loss of consciousness.
Systole – Heart contracting – pumping out blood.
Systolic blood pressure – Highest pressure measured when the heart contracts and pumps out blood.
Tachycardia – Rapid heartbeat, typically over 100 beats per minute.
Thallium test – Radioactive test to look at the extent of heart muscle damage (whether permanent or reversible).
Thrombolysis – Breaking down blood clots – ‘clot busting’.
Thrombosis – Blood clot.
Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) – Clot-dissolving treatment.
Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) – Specialised echo machine looking at the heart from inside the food pipe (oesophagus).
Transplant – Heart replaced with one from someone else.
Triglycerides – Fats used as energy source. High levels increase the risk for coronary disease.
Unsaturated fats – Fats that are liquid or a soft solid at room temperature.
Vasodilator – Drug that opens up (widens) arteries.
Vein – Low pressure blood vessels carrying blood back to the heart to pick up oxygen.
Ventricle – Heart muscle pump.
Ventricular septal defect – Hole between the right and left ventricle.
Vitamin E – Antioxidant vitamin found in vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables, wholegrain cereals, almonds and hazelnuts.
