Cardiovascular Anatomy

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels that transport blood through the body.

         Word                       Meaning

• Atrium                    Upper right or left chamber of heart
• Endocardium         Membrane lining the cavities of the heart
• Epicardium            Membrane forming the outer layer of the heart
• Myocardium          Heart Muscle
• Ventricle                Lower right and left chamber of the heart

Heart Valves

There are four valves in heart

• Aortic  Valve
• Mitral Valve
• Pulmonary semilunar valve
• Tricuspid valve

Blood Vessels

• Arteries      vessels that carry blood from the heart to arterioles
• Aorta           large artery that is the main truck of the arterial systems
• Arterioles    small vessels that receive blood from the arteries
• Capillaries   tiny vessels that join arterioles and venules
• Veins            Vessels that carry blood from the heart the venules
• Venules     Small vessels that gather blood from the capillaries into the veins

Type of Blood Pressure

• Diastole         to expand, period in the cardiac cycle when blood enters the                             relaxed ventricle from the atria
• Systole          to contract
• Normotension   normal blood pressure
• Hypotension   low blood pressure
• Hypertension   high blood pressure

Diagnostic Terms

• Atherosclerosis  Build of fatty substance with the walls of arteries
• Thrombus:          a stationary blood clot
• Embolus:            a clot carried in the bloodstream
• Stenosis:            narrowing of a part
• Claudication:   limping, pain in a limb, especially the calf area
• Palpitation:      Subjective experience of skipping or racing heartbeats
• Vegetation:      An abnormal growth of tissues around a valve
• Myocarditis:   inflammation of myocardium muscles
• Phlebitis:        Inflammation of a vein
• DVT:                Deep Venous Thrombosis

Operative Terms

• CABG:   Coronary artery bypass grafting
• Valvuloplasty:   repair of a heart valve
• Arteriotomy:   an incision into an artery
• Thrombectomy:   incision into an artery for the removal of a thrombus
• Defibrillator:   Device that delivers the electrical stimulus in defibrillation
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillator: ICD  Battery operated device with rate sensing leads that stop tachycardia 
• Pacemaker:   a device that use to treat slow heart beat