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Heart Dictionary
Acute Aortic Dissection - A severe condition in which the aorta tears.
Acute Vascular Occlusion - The sudden blockage of an artery, usually with a blood clot.
Adams-Stokes Syndrome - A state of sudden fainting caused by heart beats that are blocked.
Adult Onset Diabetes (Type II) - A type of diabetes mellitus in which patients control their blood sugar with diet and/or medications. The disease usually begins after 40 years of age, but can occur at any age. About 60% to 90% of patients are overweight.
Anemia - A less than normal amount of red blood cells.
Aneurysm - A sac formed by the enlargement of a portion of the wall of an artery, a vein or the heart.
Angina - Chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the ehart does not get as much blood and oxygen as it needs. This is caused by too little blood flow through the arteries. Also called angina pectoris.
Angiogram - The injection of dye to take an X-ray picture of an artery. Used to image arteries in the brain, heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, aorta, neck (carotids), chest, limbs and pulmonary circuit.
Angioplasty - The surgical repair of a blood vessel. A balloon angioplasty is an invasive procedure where a balloon-tipped catheter (thin tube) is introduced into a diseased blood vessel. As the balloon is inflated, the vessel opens allowing an improved flow of blood.
Antihypertensive - A drug that reduces high blood pressure.
Aorta - The main artery of the body. It starts at the opening of the heart's lower left chamber (ventricle) and carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all parts of the body.
Aortic Regurgitation - Leakage of the blood from the aorta, back through the aortic valve, into the left ventricle.
Aortic Stenosis - Narrowing of the aorta.
Arrhythmia - Any variation from the normal rhythm of the heartbeat.
Arterial Embolism - A sudden interruption in arterial blood flow to an organ or body extremity. The blockage is caused by a blood clot or foreign object.
Arteries - The vessels in the body that supply oxygenated blood to the tissues.
Artificial Heart Valve - A synthetic or porcine (pigskin) valve surgically placed into the heart to replace a defective or malfunctioning valve. The aortic and mitral valves are the most frequently replaced with artificial valves.
Atherosclerosis - Lipid (fat) deposits, causing narrowing of the arteries with hardening of the walls due to fibrosis or calcium deposits. It occurs to some degree with aging, but other risk factors that accelerate this process have been identified - high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and family history for atherosclerotic disease.
Atria - The plural form of atrium.
Atrial Fibrillation - The heart beat in an upper chamber of the heart does not beat the way it should. Instead of beating in a regular, normal pattern, part of the heart beats irregularly and too fast.
Atrial Septal Defect - An inherited condition where there is no closure of the foramen ovale at birth, resulting in congenital heart disease. Usually asymptomatic until the third or fourth decades of life.
Atrioventricular Block - A conduction disturbance that consists of a delay (or block) of a electrical impulse, in the heart's conduction system.
Atrium - In the heart, the atrium is an upper chamber found on both sides of the heart.