Lecture Notes
Classroom Activity to
Accompany
Edition
Medical
Terminology Systems, Sixth
Barbara A. Gylys ∙ Mary Ellen Wedding
8
Cardiovascular
System

8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Structure
• Composed of the heart and blood vessels
• Arteries
• Capillaries
• Veins
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Function
• Circulates blood
• Delivers oxygen and nutrients to cells
• Disposes of waste products
• Aids lymphatic system in circulating its substances
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Q: What is the main function of the heart?
A: Pump blood through blood vessels to all the cells of the body.
Q: What heart structures control blood flow to and from the heart?
A: Heart valves.
Q: What are some of the functions of the CV system?
A: Deliver oxygen, nutrients, and other essential substances to body cells and remove waste products of cellular metabolism.
Q: What function does the CV system perform for the lymphatic system?
A: Transports excess fluid from interstitial spaces in tissues and returns it to the blood.
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Signs and Symptoms
• Classic symptoms include angina and
SOB.
• Risk factors are smoking, stress, physical inactivity, family history, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and hypertension.
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Signs and Symptoms
(continued)
• Accumulation of plaque in arterial walls causing them to harden.
• Complete blockage of arterial wall caused by blood clot formation or ruptured plaque.
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Treatment
• Lifestyle changes: quit smoking, low-fat diet, regular exercise, weight reduction, and stress reduction
• Pharmacological treatment to control angina, hypertension, triglyceride levels, and blood clots
• Surgical intervention includes percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PCTA)
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: Mrs. T presents with chest pain that radiates to her left arm. She is pale and is perspiring profusely. An
EKG reveals necrosed heart tissue. The physician diagnoses Mrs. T with (fibrillations, MI, palpitations).
A: MI
Q: The nurse explains to Mr. X, who is diagnosed with
CAD, that lifestyle changes could reduce risk of further heart complications. Lifestyle changes include exercise regularly, lose weight, quit smoking, reduce stress, and maintain a diet low in saturated ______.
A: fat
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
(continued)
Q: A 50-year-old male presents to the clinic complaining of pressure and pain in his chest. After a brief exam, the doctor concludes his symptoms are due to lack of oxygen to the heart.
This condition is called angina _______.
A: pectoris
Q: Mr. S complains of chest pain, nausea, and SOB. A test to record electrical activity of his heart is ordered. This diagnostic test is called a/an __________.
A: electrocardiogram (EKG)
Q: Walter is scheduled for balloon angioplasty to crush fatty deposits in the coronary vessel and improve blood flow. He is told this is known as PCTA, the abbreviation for __________
________ ________ ________.
A: percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Aneurysm
Signs and Symptoms
• Local dilation of an artery or chamber of the heart due to weakening of its walls.
• May cause thrombus formation, hemorrhage from rupture, or ischemia.
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Aneurysm
Signs and Symptoms (continued)
• Aneurysms may be fusiform (spindle-shaped enlargement), saccular (shaped like a sac), or dissecting (layers of the vessel wall are separated).
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Aneurysm
Signs and Symptoms (continued)
• Three common types: abdominal, thoracic, and peripheral artery aneurysms.
• May be asymptomatic, but if the person is slender, a pulsating middle and upper abdominal mass may be detected on routine physical examination.
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Aneurysm
Signs and Symptoms (continued)
• Symptoms may include mild to severe weakness, sweating, tachycardia, and hypotension.
Treatment
• Depends on the size and the likelihood of its rupturing, as well as the general physical status of the individual.
• Most are treated surgically.
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: An aneurysm may cause weakness, sweating, tachycardia, and low blood pressure, also known as (hypotension, hypertension, hypothymia).
A: hypotension
Q: During a PE, the doctor palpates and feels an abnormal dilation of a blood vessel. This may be diagnosed as a/an (aneurysm, carcinoma, tumor) _________________.
A: aneurysm
Q: Mr. J is advised that he needs to have his aneurysm removed. The surgical procedure to excise an aneurysm is known as a/an
_____________________.
A: aneurysmectomy
Q: During surgery, the doctor discovers a spindle-shaped aneurysm in the patient’s artery. This type of aneurysm is known as a/an (dissecting, fusiform, saccular) aneurysm.
A: fusiform
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Medical Vocabulary
• angina pectoris
• arrhythmia
• atherosclerosis
• bruit
• deep vein thrombosis
• diastole
• embolus
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Medical Vocabulary
(continued)
• hypertension
• ischemia
• murmur
• Raynaud disease
• rheumatic heart disease
• thrombus
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Diagnostic Procedures
• Cardiac catheterization
• A catheter is guided into the heart via a vein or artery.
• Cardiac enzyme studies
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Diagnostic Procedures
(continued)
• Holter monitor
• Stress test
• Troponin I
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Diagnostic Procedures
(continued)
• EKG, ECG
• Ultrasound (US)
• Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
• Angiogram
• Computed tomography (CT) scan
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Word Building Exercise
Q: Record of electrical (activity) of the heart:
A: electrocardiogram
Q: Process of recording electrical (activity) of the heart:
A: electrocardiography
Q: Process of recording (radiography) a vein:
A: venography
Q: Process of recording (radiography) the aorta:
A: aortography
Q: Process of recording (radiography) vessels (heart and blood vessels after injection of a contrast dye):
A: angiography
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
• Automatic implantable cardioverterdefibrillator (AICD)
• Device implanted in a patient who is at high risk for developing a serious arrhythmia
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
(continued)
• Angioplasty
• Coronary artery bypass graft
• Valvuloplasty
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: Mr T must have surgery to bypass one or more of his blocked coronary arteries in order to restore blood flow. This surgery is charted as coronary artery __________ surgery.
A: bypass
Q: Mr D is diagnosed with CAD. Treatment for his condition involves an endovascular procedure that will reopen the narrowed blood vessels and restore blood flow. The blocked vessel is usually opened by balloon dilation. This surgical procedure is know as a/an (anastomosis, angioplasty, endartotomy)
A: angioplasty
Q: Lily is scheduled to have surgery on her mitral valve. The surgeon charts surgical repair of the valve as __________________.
A: valvuloplasty
Q: Ms. B is diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation. The treatment of choice is to implant a battery-powered device that monitors and automatically corrects tachycardia by sending electrical impulses to the heart. The abbreviation for this defibribllator is _____________.
A: AICD
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Pharmacology
• Beta blockers
• Nitrates
• Statins
• Thrombolytics
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8 CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: Mrs. T is diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in her lower leg.
She is prescribed a drug that dissolves a blood clot. It is known as a (beta blocker, nitrate, thrombolytic).
A: thrombolytic
Q: Mr. B is diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia and advised to follow a low fat diet. He is prescribed a drug that reduces cholesterol levels and is known as a (beta blocker, nitrate, statin).
A: statin
Q: Mrs S presents with angina pectoris and is prescribed a drug to relieve her pain. It is called a (beta blocker, nitrate, statin).
A: nitrate
Q: To lower blood pressure, the doctor prescribes a (beta blocker, nitrate, statin).
A: beta blocker
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