Maryland Heart Center

Heart Health Information

Glossary of Heart-Related Terms

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (alternative name: Aneurysm - Aortic)
Abnormal Heart Rhythms (alternative name: Arrhythmias, Dysrhythmias)
Angina (alternative name: Angina Pectoris)
Angina -Stable (other name: Stable Angina)
Angina -Unstable (other name: Unstable Angina)
Angina - Variant (other name: Variant Angina)
Angiogram
Angiography (Coronary)
Angioplasty
Aorta - the largest artery in the body and the primary blood vessel leading from the heart to the body.
Aortic Dissection
Aortic Insufficiency
Aortic Stenosis
Arrhythmias
Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease (Coronary artery disease; CHD; CAD)
Atherosclerosis (Arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries)
Atrial Fibrillation
Artery - a blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the body.
Atrium - one of two upper chambers in the heart.
Beta Blocker - an antihypertensive medication that limits the activity of epinephrine (hormone that increases blood pressure).
Blood Clot
Blood Pressure
Capillaries - tiny blood vessels between arteries and veins that distribute oxygen-rich blood to the body.
Cardiac - pertaining to the heart
Cardiac Amyloid
Cardiac Arrest - the sudden stopping of heart output and heartbeat.
Cardiac Catheterization
Cardiac Defibrillation
Cardiac Tamponade
Cardiogenic Shock
Cardiology - the clinical study and practice of treating the heart.
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy - Alcoholic
Cardiomyopathy -Dilated
Cardiomyopathy - Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy - Idiopathic
Cardiomyopathy - Ischemic
Cardiomyopathy - Peripartum
Cardiomyopathy - Restrictive
Cardiovascular - pertaining to the heart and blood vessel (circulatory) system.
Cardiovascular Disorders
Carotid Artery - the major arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain.
Carotid Artery Occlusion Syndrome
Chest Discomfort
Chest Pain
Cholesterol
Circulatory System - pertaining to the heart and blood vessels, and the circulation of blood.
Congenital Heart Disease
Coronary Arteries - two arteries that come from the aorta to provide blood to the heart muscle.
Coronary Artery Disease (stable angina)
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)
Coronary Heart Disease (Coronary artery disease; Arteriosclerotic heart disease; CHD; CAD)
Coronary Artery Spasm
Coronary Heart Disease
Defibrillator - an electronic device used to establish normal heartbeat.
Diuretic - a medication that lowers blood pressure.
Doppler Ultrasound
Dysrhythmias
Echocardiography (Echocardiogram)
Electrocardiogram (EKG)
Electrophysiological Study (EPS) - a cardiac catheterization to study electrical current in patients who have arrhythmias.
Endocarditis
Enlarged Heart - a condition of the heart in which it is abnormally larger than normal.
Heart (Diagram)
Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
Heart Bypass Surgery
Heart Disease
Heart Failure
Heart Murmurs And Other Sounds
Heart Valve Pulmonary Stenosis
Heart Valve Surgery (Valve Replacement)
Holter Monitor
Ischemia - decreased flow of oxygenated blood to an organ due to obstruction in an artery.
Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
Marfan Syndrome
Mitral Valve - the valve that controls blood flow between the left atrium and left ventricle in the heart.
Mitral Valve Prolapse - a bulge in the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle of the heart that causes backward flow of blood into the atrium.
Mitral Valve Stenosis
Myocardial Infarction
Stable Angina
Stent
Stress Tests
Tachycardia
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
Tilt Table Tests - a test performed while the patient is connected to ECG and blood pressure monitors and strapped to a table that tilts. This test is to determine if the patient is prone to sudden drops in blood pressure or slow pulse rates.
Ultrasound - a diagnostic tool used to get a picture of the heart or other structures within the body.
Unstable Angina
Valves - the heart valves are tricuspid, pulmonic, mitral, and aortic. They are the "doors" between the chambers of the heart.
Valve Replacement
Valvular Diseases (aortic stenosis, is mitral valve stenosis, mitral valve prolapse, endocarditis)
Variant Angina
Valvuloplasty - a non-surgical procedure performed to open narrowed heart valves. During the procedure, a catheter is guided through the heart and positioned through the diseased heart valve. Balloons on the catheter are inflated, enlarging the opening through the valve and improving blood flow through the heart and to the rest of the body. This allows the heart to pump more effectively, reduces pressure in the heart and lungs, and reduces symptoms.
Vein - a blood vessel that carries blood from the body back into the heart.
Ventricle - one of the two lower chambers of the heart.
Ventricular Fibrillation - a condition in which the ventricles contract in rapid and unsynchronized rhythms and cannot pump blood into the body.
Ventricular Tachycardia
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

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