Sudden Cardiac Arrest Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Adrenaline: A stress hormone produced within the adrenal gland that quickens the heart bea...

Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The pain is ...

Angioplasty: Procedure with a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowing in a coronary...

Arrhythmia: An abnormal heart rhythm.

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

Beta blocker: A class of drugs that block the effect of beta-adrenergic substances such as...

Blood clot: A mass of coagulated blood. A blood clot can block a major blood vessel, causi...

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Bypass: An operation in which a new pathway is created for the transport of substances in ...

CAD: Coronary artery disease.

Calorie: A unit of food energy. The word calorie is ordinarily used instead of the more pr...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Cardiologist: A physician who specializes in treating heart disorders.

Cardiopulmonary: Having to do with both the heart and lungs.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A life-saving emergency procedure that involves breathing f...

Cardioverter: Although cardioversion (the conversion of one cardiac rhythm to another) may...

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Coronary arteries: The vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood rich in oxygen. The...

Coronary artery disease: Impedance or blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood t...

CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Defibrillation: The use of a carefully controlled electric shock, administered either thro...

Defibrillator: A device that corrects an abnormal heart rhythm by delivering electrical sh...

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Echocardiography: Echocardiography is a diagnostic test which uses ultrasound waves to m...

Electrocardiogram: A recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Abbreviated ECG an...

Electrophysiology: The biomedical field dealing with the study of electric activity in the...

Enlarged heart: Enlargement of the heart. An enlarged heart is a descriptive term that is ...

Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

Fibrillation: In cardiology, an abnormal and erratic twitching of the heart muscle.

Groin: The area where the thigh meets the hip.

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

Heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically...

Heart muscle: A type of muscle with unique features only found in the heart. The heart mus...

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Hypertension: High blood pressure, defined as a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceedi...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Lightheadedness: A feeling you are "going to faint." Lightheadedness is medically distinc...

Long QT syndrome: A disorder of the heart's electrical system that predisposes individuals...

LQTS: Long QT syndrome.

Magnesium: A mineral involved in many processes in the body including nerve signaling, the...

Magnetic resonance imaging: A procedure that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer t...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obe...

Overweight: The term "overweight" is used in two different ways. In one sense it is a way ...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Pacemaker: A system that sends electrical impulses to the heart in order to set the hear...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Plaque: 1. An semi-hardened accumulation of substances from fluids that bathe an a...

Potassium: The major positive ion (cation) found inside cells. The chemical notation for p...

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

Radioactive: Emitting energy waves due to decaying atomic nuclei. Radioactive substances a...

Resuscitation: The procedure of restoring to life, as in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CP...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

Rupture: A break or tear in any organ (such as the spleen) or soft tissue (such as the ach...

Saturated fat: A fat that contains only saturated fatty acids, is solid at room temperatur...

Secondhand smoke: Smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette or that is exhaled ...

Shock: In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Stress echocardiography: A supplement to the routine exercise cardiac stress test. During ...

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

Sudden cardiac arrest: A medical emergency with absent or inadequate contraction of the le...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Thigh: The thick, muscular portion of the leg that extends from the hip to the knee. The t...

Trans fat: An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fatty acid, made through the chemic...

Trigger: Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predispose...

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

Ventricles: 1, The right ventricle and the left ventricle, the lower two chambers o...

Ventricular: Pertaining to the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart, as in ventricu...

Ventricular arrhythmias: Abnormal rapid heart rhythms (arrhythmias) that originate in the ...

Ventricular fibrillation: An abnormal and irregular heart rhythm in which there are rapid ...

Vessel: A tube in the body that carries fluids. Examples of vessels are blood vessels and ...

Vital: Necessary to maintain life. For example, breathing is a vital function.