Glossary 

Angiocardiography An x-ray examination of the blood vessels or chambers of the heart. It is made by tracing the course of a special fluid (called contrast or dye), visible by x-ray, that has been injected into the bloodstream. The x-ray pictures are called angiograms.

Aorta The large artery that receives blood from the left ventricle of the heart and distributes it to the body.

Aortic valve The heart valve between the left ventricle and the aorta. It has three flaps, or cusps.

Arrhythmia (dysrhythmia) An abnormal rhythm of the heart.

Artery Any one of a series of vessels that carry blood from the heart to the various parts of the body.

Atresia The absence of a normal opening.

Atrium Either one of the two upper chambers of the heart in which blood collects before being passed to the ventricles.

Balloon angioplasty A procedure in which a balloon is inserted into a narrowed area of a blood vessel. When the balloon is inflated, the narrowed area is stretched open and then the balloon is removed.

Balloon valvuloplasty A procedure in which a balloon is inserted into the opening of a narrowed heart valve. When the balloon is inflated, the valve is stretched open and then the balloon is removed.

Blood pressure The force or pressure exerted by the heart in pumping blood; pressure of the blood in the arteries.

Cardiac Pertaining to the heart.

Cardiac arrest When the heart stops beating.

Cardiology The study of the heart and its functions in health and disease.

Cardiovascular Pertaining to the heart and blood vessels.

Catherterization The process of examining the heart by inserting a thin tube (catheter) into a vein or artery and passing it into the heart. It's done to sample oxygen, measure pressure and make x-ray movies.

Congenital heart defect Part of the heart or its major blood vessels that isn't formed properly and doesn't work as it should at birth.

Congestive heart failure The inability of the heart to pump out all the blood that returns to it. This results in blood backing up in the veins that lead to the heart. Sometimes fluid builds up in various parts of the body.

Coronary arteries Two arteries arising from the aorta. The arteries arch down over the top of the heart, branch and provide blood to the working heart muscle.

Cyanosis Blueness of the skin caused by a shortage of oxygen in the blood.

Diastolic blood pressure The blood pressure inside the arteries when the heart muscle is relaxed.

Digoxin A drug often used in treating congestive heart failure. It makes the contraction of the heart muscle stronger, slows the rate of the heart beat and helps remove extra fluid from body tissues. It's also used sometimes to treat certain arrhythmias.

Diuretic A drug that increases the rate that urine forms. It promotes the excretion of water and salts.

Doppler (ultrasound) A type of ultrasound that measures blood flow.

Dysrhythmia (arrhythmia) An abnormal rhythm of the heart.

Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart) A diagnostic method in which sound waves are used to view and record pictures of the heart and other structures.

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) A graphic record or electrical impulses produced by the heart.

Endocarditis An inflammation of the inner lining of the heart or heart valves

Fetal Monitoring is done during the pregnancy,  labor and or delivery to keep track of the baby's heart rate and the strength and duration of contractions.

High blood pressure A chronic increase in blood pressure above the normal range. The increase persists over two or more measurements.

Hypertension Same as high blood pressure

Hypothermia A procedure that lowers a patient's body temperature during surgery. It stops all blood circulation so the surgeon can safely repair the heart.

Mitral valve The heart valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle. It has two flaps, or cusps.

Open-heart surgery Surgery done on the opened heart while the bloodstream is diverted through a heart lung machine.

Pacemaker The "natural " pacemaker of the heart is called the sinus node. The sinus node is a small mass of special cells in the top of the right atrium of the heart. It produces the electrical impulse that goes to the left atrium and travels down to reach the ventricular muscle. These impulses cause the heart to contract or beat. The term "artificial pacemaker" is applied to an electrical device that can be used to replace a defective natural pacemaker or conduction pathway. The artificial pacemaker controls the heart's beating and rhythm by sending out a series of electrical signals.

Pulmonary artery The large artery that receives blood from the right ventricle and takes it to the lungs.

Pulmonary (pulmonic) valve The heart valve between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. It has three flaps, or cusps.

Regurgitation The abnormal backward flowing of blood through a valve of the heart.

Rubella Commonly known as German measles.

Septum One of the muscular walls dividing the two chambers on the left side of the heart from the two chambers on the right. The atrial septum separates the top chambers and the ventricular septum separates the bottom chambers.

Stenosis The narrowing or constriction of an opening (such as a heart valve)

Stereotaxis technology that provides physicians with the ability to conduct precise remotely controlled, image-guided computerized interventional procedures with greater efficiency, effectiveness and patient safety than conventional manual interventional techniques.

Systolic blood pressure Pressure inside the arteries when the heart contracts with each beat.

Tricuspid valve The heart valve between the right atrium and right ventricle. It has three flaps, or cusps.

Ultrasound High frequency sound waves, that a human ear cannot hear, used in medical diagnosis. In pediatric cardiology the ultrasound test includes both echocardiography (shows a picture of the heart) and the Doppler test (analyzes blood flow).

Valve An opening, covered by membrane flaps, between two chambers of the heart or between a chamber of the heart and a blood vessel. When it's closed, no blood normally passes through.

Vascular Pertaining to the blood vessels.

Vein Any one of a series of vessels that carry blood from various body parts of the body back to the heart.

Ventricle One of the two lower chambers of the heart.

*Glossary of terms reprinted with permission of the American Heart Association