Medical Terminology 2.

0: Cardiovascular System: Lesson 2: Pathologic Conditions

In this lesson, you will learn medical terms related to pathological conditions affecting the cardiovascular system. When you have completed this lesson, you will be familiar with medical terms used to describe diseases and conditions associated with the cardiovascular system. After completing this lesson, you should be able to: Define word parts used to describe the pathology of the cardiovascular system. Identify terms related to the pathology of the cardiovascular system. Pronounce and spell terms related to pathology of the cardiovascular system. Define pathology terms related to the cardiovascular system that cannot be analyzed.

ReviewSuffix, Prefix, and Combining Forms Aort/o aorta Ven/o vein Pector/o chest Atri atrium Myx/o mucus -tension pressure Valvul/o, valv/o valve -sclerosis abnormal condition of hardening Myocardi/o heart muscle Esophag/o esophagus -it is inflammation Ather/o fat, plaque Tetra- - four -ia condition -megaly enlargement Ventricul/o - ventricle -pnea breathing -osis abnormal condition -oma tumor, mass Tachy- - rapid Pulmon/o - lung Orth/o straight, upright -ary, -ous, -al, ic, -ar, eal, -ac pertaining to Sept/o septum -logy study of a- - without cardi/o heart brady- - slow dys- - difficult, abnormal cyan/o blue

hyper excessive -trophy development Electr/o electrical -graphy process of recording Ec- - out of Top/o place Endo- - within Arteri/o artery Varic/o varicose vein Hem/o blood Angi/o vessel Peri- - surrounding Diaphor/o sweat -esis condition Isch/o to hold back -emic blood conditioin Mal- - bad -it is inflammation Pro- - forward -lapse fall Rrhythm/o rhythm Coron/o heart My/o muscle -pathy disease Thromb/o clot Phleb/o vein -osis condition -gram record Case Study
Carrie is a 19-year-old female who plays forward guard on her college basketball team. During her routine sports physical at the beginning of the season, the doctor told her she had high blood pressure. "This is news to me!" she said. Carrie had not noticed any symptoms except occasional leg pains after basketball practice. Also during the examination, her physician finds that the pulses in Carrie's legs are slower and weaker in comparison with the pulses in her arm. Carrie's doctor refers her to a cardiologist for further evaluation and treatment.

Signs and Symptoms of Cardiac Pathology Physical signs and symptoms often associated with pathology of the cardiovascular system are discussed below. diaphoresis: Secretion of sweat, especially of a profuse degree. Also called sudoresis. pallor: A lack or absence of skin coloration; paleness.

syncope: Fainting or sudden loss of consciousness caused by lack of blood supply to the cerebrum. nausea: An unpleasant sensation vaguely associated with the abdomen and the epigastrium, often leading to vomiting. palpitations: Pounding or racing of the heart, such that the patient is aware of his/her heartbeat. shortness of breath: Breathlessness; inability to adequately fill the lungs. cardiac pain: Atypical pain is a stabbing or burning pain variable in location and intensity and unrelated to exertion. Ischemic pain is a pressing, squeezing or weightlike cardiac pain caused by deceased blood supply and usually lasts only minutes. Pericardial pain is stabbing, burning or cutting cardiac pain. atypical cardiac pain: Stabbing or burning pain unrelated to exertion. ischemic cardiac pain: Pressing, squeezing, or weight-like pain caused by decreased blood supply. emesis: Vomiting. bruit: Abnormal sound heard when auscultating an artery (not the heart). Usually a blowing or swishing sound, higher pitched than a murmur. auscultation: The act of listening to sounds within the body for the purpose of evaluating the condition of the lungs, heart, blood vessels, pleura, abdomen, or other organs. cyanosis: A bluish discoloration, particularly of the skin and mucous membranes, caused by excessive concentration of deoxyhemoglobin in the blood. dyspnea: Shortness of breath; labored or difficult breathing. edema: Accumulation of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces; may be localized or systemic.

-edema: Suffix meaning "swelling." fatigue: Sense of exhaustion, regardless of adequacy of sleep. venous distension: Enlarged or swollen veins. pulmonary congestion: Excessive amount of blood in the pulmonary vessels or vasculature. Usually associated with heart failure. thrills: A fine vibration felt by the examiner on palpation. Congenital Disorders of the Heart
A congenital heart defect is a defect in the structure of the heart and great vessels that is present at birth. Coarctation of the aorta is a narrowing in the aorta. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is an abnormal opening between the pulmonary artery and the aorta. Cardiomegaly (cardi/o=heart, -megaly=enlargement) is enlargement of the heart.

A murmur is an abnormal heart sound heard during systole, diastole, or both, which may be described as a gentle blowing, fluttering, or humming sound. Click the More Information tab to learn about septal defects.

Cardiovascular System: Lesson 2: Pathologic Conditions Septal Defects

Septal defect (sept/o;=septum, -al;=pertaining to) refers to a hole or any congenital damage to the walls between the heart chambers. Atrial septal defect (ASD); (atri/o=atrium) is a hole in the wall between the top chambers of the heart. Ventricular septal defect (VSD); (ventricul/o;=ventricle, -ar;=pertaining to) is a hole in the wall between the bottom two chambers of the heart. Tetralogy of Fallot (tetra-;=four, -logy;=study of) refers to a set of four defects that includes VSD, pulmonic (pulmon/o=lung, -ic=pertaining to) stenosis (narrowing), malposition (mal-=bad) of the aorta, and right ventricular hypertrophy; (hyper-;=excessive, -trophy;=development).

Valvular Heart Disease

Valvular (valv/o, valvul/o=valve, -ar= pertaining to) heart disease is characterized by damage to, or a defect in, one of the four heart valves: the mitral valve, aortic valve, tricuspid valve, or pulmonary valve. The condition may be congenital or acquired.

aortic stenosis: A cardiac irregularity marked by a narrowing of the aortic valve. valvulitis: Inflammatory condition of a valve or valvula, especially a valve of the heart. mitral valve stenosis: An obstructive lesion of the mitral valve developing from adhesions on valve leaflets, most commonly the result of recurring rheumatic endocarditis. orthopnea: Dyspnea in which a person must sit upright or stand in order to breathe comfortably. tricuspid stenosis: A relatively uncommon narrowing of the tricuspid valve associated with lesions of other valves caused by rheumatic fever. Symptoms include jugular vein distention and pulmonary congestion. Mitral Valve Abnormal Conditions
In this condition, one or both valve flaps are enlarged. When the heart pumps, the mitral valve does not close smoothly. One or both flaps collapse backward into the left atrium. Prolapse (pro-=forward, -lapse=fall) refers to drooping. Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium during systole.

Electrocardiography
Electrocardiography (electr/o=electrical, cardi/o=heart, -graphy=process of recording) is a procedure that records the heart's electrical activity. The record produced is called an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) (-gram=a record). It is used to determine if the presenting symptoms or complaint is associated with the heart. Twelve leads must be placed in exact locations for an accurate tracing of the heart.

dysrhythmia: 1. Any disturbance or abnormality of rhythm. 2. An abnormal cardiac rhythm; the term arrhythmia is more often used. arrhythmia: Any deviation from the normal rhythm of the heartbeat.

rrhythm/o: Combining form meaning "rhythm." tachycardia: A condition marked by an excessive rapidity in the action of the heart, usually defined as a heart rate above 100 beats per minute in an adult. Tachycardia may occur naturally in response to exercise, nervous excitation, or fever, or it may be a pathologic condition. ventricular tachycardia: Ventricular contractions at rates > 120 bpm. atrial tachycardia: Abnormally rapid atrial contractions. bradycardia: A slow heartbeat, less than 60 beats per minute. Cardiac Conduction Failure
Atrioventricular block (AV block) (atri/o=atrium, ventricul/o=ventricle, -ar=pertaining to) is a partial or complete blockage of the heart. It results from a lack of electrical communication between the atria and ventricles. This conduction delay or failure may happen intermittently or with such frequency that virtually no impulses reach the ventricles.

Atrial Flutter
Atrial flutter (atri/o=atrium, -al=pertaining to) refers to rapid, but regular, contractions of the atria. During atrial flutter, atrial rate averages 250 to 350 beats per minute. Click the More Information tab to learn about ectopic beats.

Ectopic Beats
There are two kinds of ectopic beats (ec-=out of, top/o=place, -ic=pertaining to): Atrial ectopic beats are irregular contractions of the atria. Ventricular ectopic beats are irregular contractions of the ventricles.

Angina Pectoris
Angina pectoris (angi/o=vessel, blood, pector/o=chest) refers to pain in the neck, chest, left shoulder, and/or left arm. It is usually caused by lack of oxygen to the heart muscle.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) (coron/o=heart, -ary=pertaining to) refers to an accumulation and hardening of plaque in the coronary arteries.

Myocardial Infarction
A myocardial infarction (myocardi/o=heart muscle, -al=pertaining to), also called a heart attack, is the necrosis of a portion of the myocardial muscle caused by obstruction in a coronary artery. Coronary arteries are occluded, or blocked, by: Atheroma (ather/o=fat, -oma=mass): A mass of fat or lipids on the wall of an artery A blood clot caused by stagnation of blood flow around an atheroma

The blocked arteries cannot supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. Cardiac muscle dies because of a lack of oxygen.

Heart Failure
Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), means the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the need for oxygenated blood throughout the body. Cardiomyopathy (cardi/o=heart, my/o=muscle, -pathy=disease) refers to a diseased heart muscle. It results in an inability to pump blood efficiently and eventually leads to heart failure. Endocarditis (endo-=within, cardi/o=heart, -itis=inflammation) is the inflammation of the endocardium and heart valves. It is characterized by lesions and caused by a number of different microbes. Pericarditis (peri-=surrounding, cardi/o=heart, -itis=inflammation) is the inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. It can lead to an accumulation of fluid in the sac called pericardial effusion.

Systemic Vascular Disorders

The most common disorders affecting the vasculature include hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and atherosclerosis. Hypertension (hyper-=excessive, -tension=pressure) refers to high or elevated blood pressure. It is also known as arterial hypertension. Arteriosclerosis (arteri/o=artery, -sclerosis=hardening) is a disease in which the arterial walls thicken and lose elasticity. Atheromas are not present in this disorder. Atherosclerosis (ather/o=fat, plaque, -sclerosis=hardening) is a form of arteriosclerosis in which atheromas are present.

Diseases Affecting the Veins

Diseases affecting the veins include varicose veins, esophageal varices, and thrombophlebitis. Varicose veins (varic/o=varicose veins) are elongated dilated superficial veins with incompetent valves that permit reverse blood flow. They are commonly seen in the lower extremities.

Esophageal varices (esophag/o=esophagus, -eal=pertaining to, varic/o=varicose vein) are varicose veins that appear at the lower end of the esophagus because of hypertension. Thrombophlebitis (thromb/o=clot, phleb/o=vein, -itis=inflammation) involves inflammation of either deep veins (deep vein thrombosis (-osis=condition) or DVT) or superficial veins.

Neoplasms
New growths of tissue, or neoplasms, may affect the cardiovascular system. Hemangioma (hem/o=blood, angi/o=vessel, -oma=tumor, mass) is the only common primary tumor of the cardiovascular system and is a benign growth of the blood vessels. Myxomatous tumors (myx/o=mucus, -ous=pertaining to) are rare and may be benign or malignant. They are characterized by the tumor cells being embedded in a mucus-like substance within the endocardium.

Case Study
Carrie is referred to Dr. Lynn, who is a cardiologist. He orders an echocardiogram of Carrie's heart. The echocardiogram reveals a narrowing in her aorta. He explains to her that this congenital anomaly is called coarctation of the aorta. She is treated with nonsurgical balloon dilation in the cardiac catheterization lab. Carrie's physician explains that Carrie can live an active lifestyle and return to the basketball team. She will need to be monitored yearly to check for development of endocarditis, an inflammation of the endocardium and heart valves.

Summary
This lesson presented the medical terms used to describe the pathology of the cardiovascular system. Terms used to describe congenital defects of the heart including septal defects were introduced. Medical terminology used to describe cardiac electrical impulse conduction were explained and defined. Terms used to describe abnormal heart rhythms were identified. Medical terms used to describe common cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, and vascular disorders were presented. Click the Take Test button to begin the test.