Medical Terminology Flashcards: Cardiovascular System Terms, Heart and Blood Vessels

Tachycardia means an abnormally fast heart rate, defined as a resting heart rate above 100 beats per minute in adults. The term breaks down into tachy meaning fast and cardia meaning heart condition. Tachycardia can be caused by exercise, fever, anxiety, dehydration, anemia, hyperthyroidism, or cardiac arrhythmias. Types include sinus tachycardia where the heart's normal pacemaker fires too fast, supraventricular tachycardia originating above the ventricles, and ventricular tachycardia originating in the ventricles which can be life-threatening.

Bradycardia means an abnormally slow heart rate, defined as below 60 beats per minute in adults. The term breaks into brady meaning slow and cardia meaning heart condition. Bradycardia is normal in well-trained athletes whose hearts pump efficiently at lower rates. It becomes concerning when it causes symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, fainting, or confusion, indicating the heart is not pumping enough blood to meet the body's needs. Causes include certain medications like beta blockers, hypothyroidism, electrolyte imbalances, and heart conduction disorders.

Hypertension means high blood pressure, defined as a systolic reading of 130 or higher or diastolic of 80 or higher on repeated measurements. The term combines hyper meaning excessive and tension meaning pressure. Hypotension means low blood pressure, generally a systolic reading below 90 or diastolic below 60. The term combines hypo meaning below normal and tension. Hypertension is called the silent killer because it often has no symptoms while damaging blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and brain over years.

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty deposits called plaques inside arterial walls, causing them to harden and narrow over time. The term breaks into athero meaning fatty substance or porridge-like material and sclerosis meaning hardening. As plaques grow, they restrict blood flow to organs and tissues. If a plaque ruptures, it can trigger a blood clot that completely blocks the artery, causing a heart attack if in a coronary artery or a stroke if in a cerebral artery. Risk factors include high cholesterol, hypertension, smoking, diabetes, and sedentary lifestyle.

Myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack. It breaks into myo meaning muscle, cardi meaning heart, and infarction meaning tissue death due to inadequate blood supply. A myocardial infarction occurs when a coronary artery becomes blocked, usually by a blood clot forming on a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque, cutting off oxygen to a section of heart muscle. Without blood flow, the affected muscle tissue begins to die within minutes. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, diaphoresis meaning sweating, and pain radiating to the arm or jaw.

Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body's tissues under high pressure, with thick muscular walls that expand and contract with each heartbeat. The combining form is arterio. Veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart under low pressure, with thinner walls and one-way valves that prevent backflow. The combining form is veno or phlebo. Capillaries are microscopic vessels connecting arteries to veins where gas exchange occurs, with walls only one cell thick allowing oxygen and nutrients to pass to tissues and waste products to enter the blood.

Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot, called a thrombus, inside a blood vessel that obstructs blood flow. The root thromb refers to clot and osis means abnormal condition. Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, occurs in the deep veins of the legs. An embolism occurs when a clot or other material breaks free, travels through the bloodstream, and lodges in a distant vessel. The traveling material is called an embolus. A pulmonary embolism happens when a clot from the legs travels to the lungs and blocks a pulmonary artery.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood. The term breaks into cardio meaning heart, myo meaning muscle, and pathy meaning disease. The three main types are dilated cardiomyopathy where the heart chambers enlarge and weaken, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy where the heart muscle thickens abnormally, and restrictive cardiomyopathy where the heart muscle becomes rigid and less elastic. Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. ---