HEART, NECK
VESSELS, AND
PERIPHERAL
VASCULAR SYSTEM
DEFINITIONS
Kim and Stephanie
NSG 173
Aneurysm

localized, blood-filled
dilation of a blood vessel
caused by disease or
weakening of the vessel
wall
Angina

spasmodic, choking, or suffocating pain
Apical

Relating to the apex of a pyramidal or pointed
structure
Arrhythmia

An irregularity in the force or rhythm of the
heartbeat
Arteriosclerosis

Any of a group of chronic diseases in which
thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the
arterial walls result in impaired blood circulation.
Also called arterial sclerosis
Bradycardia

A slowness of the heartbeat, usually under 60 beats
per minute in adults
Bruits

an abnormal sound or murmur heard in auscultation
Diastole

the rhythmic period of relaxation and dilation of a
chamber of the heart during which it fills with blood
Edema

an abnormal accumulation of fluid in intercellular
spaces of the body
Embolism

the sudden blocking of an
artery by a clot or foreign
material which has been
brought to its site of
lodgment by the blood
current.
Fibrillation

a small, local, involuntary, muscular contraction, due
to spontaneous activation of single muscle cells or
muscle fibers whose nerve supply has been
damaged or cut off.
Myocardial infarction

Necrosis of a region of the myocardium caused by
an interruption in the supply of blood to the heart,
usually as a result of occlusion of a coronary artery.
Also called cardiac infarction.
Orthostatic hypotension

A form of low blood pressure precipitated by
moving from a lying or sitting position to standing
up straight
Palpitation

a subjective sensation of an unduly rapid or
irregular heartbeat
Pericardial

pertaining to the pericardium that surrounds the
heart.
Phlebitis

Inflammation of a vein
Precordium

the region of the anterior surface of the body
covering the heart and lower thorax
Stroke volume

The volume of blood pumped out of one ventricle of
the heart in a single beat
Systole

the contraction, or period of contraction, of the
heart, especially of the ventricles, during which
blood is forced into the aorta and pulmonary
artery
Tachycardia

abnormally rapid heart rate
Thrombophlebitis

Inflammation of a vein caused by or associated with
the formation of a blood clot.