A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

A

Angina pressure, tightness or pain in your chest, arm, neck, back or jaw due to an insufficient supply of blood to the heart.

Angioplasty a procedure that opens clogged arteries by compressing plaque against the artery wall. A catheter with a small balloon at its tip is moved to where the artery is clogged. The balloon is inflated and deflated a few times. This compresses the plaque, opens the artery, and increases blood flow. Then the balloon-tipped catheter is removed.

Arterial occlusive disease Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) results either from a blockage due to atherosclerotic or inflammatory processes, or from thrombus (blood clot) formation (usually associated with underlying atherosclerotic disease).

Atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries

Atherectomy a procedure that removes plaque from artery walls using a special catheter

Atrial fibrillation Chaotic beating of the top chambers (atria) of the heart which can cause a rapid irregular pulse

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B  C

Cardiac ablation Using an energy source such as radio frequency or laser energy to destroy a small area of the heart and prevent further arrhythmias

Cardiac catheterization a common non-surgical procedure used to help diagnose a heart problem. During the procedure a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel, then guided toward your heart. Once the catheter is in place, x-rays and other tests are done to help your doctor learn how well your heart is working.

Cardiac Nuclear Imaging a way of checking blood flow through the muscle or walls of your heart. A tracer (small amount of radioactive matter) is given to you through a vein in your arm. A camera scans the tracer in your blood as it flows through your heart muscle. Also called a perfusion scan.

Cardioversion The application of a shock to the chest wall to stop an irregular heartbeat and restore a normal one. This is usually performed while the patient is asleep for several seconds.

Catheter a very thin, flexible tube

Coronary angiography a special type of x-ray that allows a blockage in the coronary arteries to be viewed and recorded on film.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) An operation which uses arteries and or veins to bypass narrowings or occlusions in the coronary arteries. This is usually done using the heart lung machine but can be done with the heart beating (see OPCAB ).

Coronary artery disease hardening of the heart arteries.

Cryoablation use of freezing cold temperature delivered via a catheter to destroy a small area of the heart to prevent arrhythmia

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D  E

Echocardiogram An imaging test that uses harmless sound waves to show how well your heart muscle and valves are working. It also shows how large your heart is. Useful in patients with complaints of shortness of breath, chest pain, exercise intolerance, syncope, & palpitations.

Ejection Fraction simple test that measures the fraction of blood pumped or ejected from the heart with each beat. Can be measured with an echocardiogram.

Electrocardiogram/EKG Records electrical activity of heartbeats. Can show the difference between irregular and normal heart rhythm or even a heart attack.

Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) Some common electronic devices generate EMI, and can affect pacemakers and ICDs. Some EMI sources to avoid: very large stereo speakers or boom boxes, strong magnets, industrial equipment such as power generators. It is usually safe to be around televisions, vcrs, tabletop appliances such as toasters or blenders, electric blankets, washing machines, personal computers, etc.

Endoscopic Vein Harvesting (EVH) This minimally invasive procedure involves a small incision at the knee, rather than the traditional harvesting that requires a long incision down the entire leg to remove the vein for use during bypass surgery. In addition to avoiding a scar, patients undergoing EVH are less likely to experience complications and usually have a shorter recovery time.

Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) a non-invasive outpatient procedure for patients with severe refractory angina. It applies pressure to the body to enhance circulation Can relieve or eliminate angina in patients who are not candidates for angioplasty or bypass surgery

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) When the heart/lung machine is used in the operating room in venoarterial mode to provide total support of heart and lung function to facilitate cardiac operations, the technique is commonly called cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). When used with extrathoracic cannulation for respiratory support the technique has been called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

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F

"Finger Stick" clotting studies measurement of the effect of coumadin to thin the blood. This can be accomplished with a simple fingerstick without the need for drawing blood.

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G  H

Heart attack complete blockage of blood flow to a heart artery, causing the heart muscle to die.

Heart Transplantation Surgery to remove a severely diseased and failing heart and replace it with a healthy heart from a donor who has died to treat irreversible, life-threatening heart diseases that cannot be managed using any other type of medical or surgical method.

Heart Valve Repair Surgery to repair a defective heart valve

Heart Valve Replacement Surgery to replace a damaged heart valve with either a porcine (pig) or a mechanical valve.

Holter monitor a portable recorder worn to monitor your heart rhythm.

Hyperlipidemia excess levels of fats in the blood. These fats can be triglycerides, or cholesterol. Hyperlipidemia is often associated with increased risk of heart disease and strokes. There are genetic disorders that predispose to hyperlipidemia.

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I

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) a device that is implanted in the chest to monitor for and, if necessary, correct episodes of an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) by pacing or shocking the heart.

Implantable Loop Recorders (ILR) diagnostic tools used to aid in the diagnosis of syncope, passing out spells. They do not provide therapy. With ILR, patients may "save" recordings of their heart rhythms when they occur for later interpretation. The expected longevity of an ILR is approximately 14 months

Intra-aortic balloon pumping Intraaortic balloon pumping is used to provide temporary mechanical assistance to a failing left ventricle. A balloon catheter is inserted via the femoral artery into the aorta. Under radiographic screening, the balloon is positioned just distal to the aortic arch. Using the ECG or the intraaortic pressure profile as a trigger, inflation and deflation of the balloon are synchronised with the heart beat.

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J  K  L  M

Maze Procedure Surgery to treat atrial fibrillation

Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass (MIDCAB) Beating heart surgery that is a version of the traditional coronary artery bypass graft. There is minimal invasion into the chest and it does not require the chest to be opened.

Mitral valve prolapse the most common heart problem. With this problem, the mitral valve bulges slightly back into the left atrium when it closes. This may allow a tiny amount of blood to leak backward. Minor symptoms such as minor chest pain or palpitations may occur. Mitral valve prolapse is usually not serious. May be present from birth, or may develop later in life.

Mitral insufficiency condition where the mitral valve has problems closing, letting blood leak back through the valve. Mild cases of mitral insufficiency, when a small amount of blood leaks, rarely cause problems. Severe cases can lead to damage to the ventricle and heart muscle.

Murmur Whistling sound made by the heart, sometimes caused by a problem with a heart valve. Heart murmurs may not be indicative of a heart problem, other tests can confirm a diagnosis.

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N

Nuclear stress testing See cardiac nuclear imaging above. It combines a stress test with nuclear imaging to provide information on exercise tolerance, ischemic burden, LV function, and ejection fraction. Can be useful in patients who have limited echo "windows" i.e. smokers, large body habitus, chronic lung disease patients, etc.

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O

Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OPCAB) Beating heart surgery that allows the surgeon to sew the bypass grafts into place without stopping the heart. The chest is opened as in conventional open-heart surgery.

Open-heart surgery an operation in which the heart-lung machine is used to support the patient's circulation while the surgeon opens and makes changes to the heart or the arteries on the surface of the heart. This surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations in the United States, with a high overall survival rate. There are a variety of different types of open-heart surgeries, depending on the condition being treated and the overall health of the patient.

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P

Pacemaker Insertion The surgical insertion of an artificial pacemaker, a small, battery-operated device that helps maintain a normal heartbeat by sending electrical impulses to the heart when the body's natural pacemaker becomes defective due to heart disease

Pectus Excavatum Repair A surgery to correct a deformity of the front of the chest wall with depression of the breastbone (sternum) and rib (costal) cartilages.

Port Access Surgery A version of the traditional coronary artery bypass graft where the sternum is not split and the chest is not opened. Small incisions are made in the chest through which the surgeon will perform the operation. Does require use of a heart-lung machine.

Pulse oximetry a non-invasive test in which a device that clips on the finger measures the oxygen level in the blood.

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Q  R

Ross Procedure A type of heart valve replacement to replace an aortic valve that is severely narrowed (stenosis) and/or improperly closing, allowing blood to leak back in the wrong direction (regurgitation) with the patients own pulmonic valve with subsequent artificial valve placed in the pulmonic position

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S

Skip Fontan fenestrations The "Fontan circulation" refers to a configuration where a single ventricle pumps blood returning from the lungs to the body, and the blood returning from the body travels to the lungs via direct blood vessel connections without a pumping chamber. Residual communication or fenestration between systemic and pulmonary venous returns is often created during surgical construction of the Fontan circulation. This fenestration may prevent excessive increases in venous pressure in the early postoperative phase, especially in high risk patients. Many of these fenestrations close spontaneously, however some remain open causing persistent arterial desaturation and are a potential cause of paradoxical embolism.

Stenosis condition when a heart valve stiffens and doesn't open all the way, causing the heart to push blood through a smaller opening. The heart may have to work harder to move the same amount of blood. This extra work may cause the heart muscle to tire and weaken.

Stents metal devices placed permanently inside an artery during angioplasty to help keep it open.

Stress echocardiography An exercise stress test which utilizes echocardiography to provides information on exercise tolerance, ischemic burden, and structural heart disease including valvular disease, pericardial disease and provides analysis of LVF

Stress testing Also called an exercise treadmill test. It is useful for screening high risk populations, preoperative clearance, following patients with known heart disease, or in the diagnosis of chest pain or shortness of breath

Syncope fainting caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain. Can be caused by low blood pressure due to an extremely slow or fast heartbeat.

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T

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) A test that allows your doctor to record ultrasound images of your heart from inside your esophagus, or food pipe. Since the esophagus lies just behind the heart, TEE may produce clearer pictures of the heart's movement than would standard echocardiography taken from outside the chest. During TEE, harmless sound waves bounce off your heart. These sound waves create images of your heart as it pumps blood through the valves and chambers. These images help identify problems such as infection, disease, or defects in your heart's walls or valves.

Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR) Laser surgery that opens tiny new pathways within the heart. These holes improve blood flow and reduce the severity of chest pain, pressure or discomfort (angina) resulting from a lack of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

Transtelephonic monitoring a technology that allows patients to report symptoms and/or transmit data from a medical device (usually a pacemaker) over the phone for medical evaluation by their physician

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U  V

Valvular Insufficiency condition when a heart valve doesn't close tightly, causing blood to leak backward. The heart may have to work harder to move the same amount of blood. This extra work may cause the heart muscle to tire and weaken.

Ventricular Assist Device A type of mechanical heart that is surgically implanted in the patient's chest during open-heart surgery to help the heart pump blood.

Ventriculography a type of x-ray that allows the heart's chambers and pumping action to be viewed and recorded.

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W  X  Y  Z

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome A specific type of heart rhythm abnormality. Patients with the WPW syndrome have an accessory pathway connecting the upper and lower chamber of the heart. These patients may develop a rapid heartbeat caused by a "short circuit". WPW syndrome also may cause dangerous heart arrhythmias.

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