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May 24, 2013


Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT, PSVT) Glossary of Terms

The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT, PSVT) article.

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

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Abdominal muscles: A large group of muscles in the front of the abdomen that assists in th...

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

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

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Adenosine: A nucleoside containing adenine as its base. Adenosine acts to dilate the coron...

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Alcohol abuse: Use of alcoholic beverages to excess, either on individual occasions (binge...

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Ambulatory: Able to walk about, not bedridden or immobile.

Anesthesia: Loss of feeling or awareness, as when an anesthetic is administered before sur...

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Angiography: A procedure performed to view blood vessels after injecting them with a radio...

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Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

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Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Arrhythmia: An abnormal heart rhythm.

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

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Asthma: A common lung disorder in which inflammation causes the bronchi to swell and narro...

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Atherosclerosis: A process of progressive thickening and hardening of the walls of medium-...

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Atria: The plural of atrium.

Atrial: Pertaining to the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, as in atrial fibrillatio...

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Atrial fibrillation: An abnormal and irregular heart rhythm in which electrical signals ar...

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Atrial flutter: Well-organized but overly rapid contractions of the atrium of the heart (u...

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Atrioventricular node: The electrical relay station between the upper and lower chambers o...

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Atrium: An entry chamber. On both sides of the heart, the atrium is the chamber that leads...

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AV node: Atrioventricular node.

Biofeedback: A method of treatment that uses a monitor to measure patients' physiologic in...

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Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

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

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Bowel: The small and large intestine.

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

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Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

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Caffeine: A stimulant compound found naturally in coffee, tea, cocoa (chocolate), and kola...

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Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

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Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Cardiologist: A physician who specializes in treating heart disorders.

Cardioversion: The conversion of a cardiac rhythm or electrical pattern to another, genera...

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Carotid: Pertaining to the carotid artery and the area near that key artery, which is loca...

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Carotid artery: Either of the two key arteries located in the front of the neck, through w...

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Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

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

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

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

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

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Cocaine: A substance derived from the leaves of the coca plant that is a bitter, addictive...

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Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

Coronary angiography: The most accurate method (the "gold standard") for evaluating and de...

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

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

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Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

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

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

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

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ECG: Electrocardiogram.

Ectopic: In the wrong place, out of place. For example, an ectopic kidney is a kidney that...

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

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Electrophysiologic: Pertaining to electrophysiology.

Emboli: Something that travels through the bloodstream, lodges in a blood vessel and block...

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Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

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

Flutter: Flutter is a rapid vibration or pulsation. The difference between flutter and fib...

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

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

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

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

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

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Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

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Heart valves: There are four heart valves. All are one-way valves. Blood entering the ...

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Holter monitor: A type of portable heart monitor that is a small electrocardiogram (EKG) d...

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

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Ischemia: Inadequate blood supply to a local area due to blockage of blood vessels leading...

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Jaw: The movable junction of the bones below the mouth (the mandible) and the bone just ab...

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Left ventricle: The left lower chamber of the heart that receives blood from the left atri...

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Low blood pressure: Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individua...

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Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

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Meditation: A typically self-directed practice for relaxing the body and calming the mind....

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Multifocal: Having to do with two or more foci or arising from two or more places. For exa...

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

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Natural pacemaker: The natural pacemaker of the heart is the sinus node, one of the major ...

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

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

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Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

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Node: Literally a knot, a node is a collection of tissue. For example a lymph node, is a ...

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Nurse: 1) A person trained, licensed, or skilled in nursing. 2) To feed an infant at the ...

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Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight.

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

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

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

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Palpitations: Unpleasant sensations of irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart. In ...

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Pericarditis: Inflammation of the lining around the heart (the pericardium) that causes ch...

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Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs, with dense areas of lung inflammation. Pneum...

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Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

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Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

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Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

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

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Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

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Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

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

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Right atrium: The right upper chamber of the heart. The right atrium receives deoxygenated...

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Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

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SA node: The SA node (SA stands for sinoatrial) is one of the major elements in the cardi...

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Second-hand smoke: Environmental tobacco smoke that is inhaled involuntarily or passively ...

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Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

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

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

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Sinus: 1. An air-filled cavity in a dense portion of a skull bone. The sinuses decr...

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Sinus node: The sinus node is one of the major elements in the cardiac conduction system, ...

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Sinus tachycardia: Fast heartbeat (tachycardia) that occurs because of overly rapid firing...

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Sporadic: Occurring upon occasion or in a scattered, isolated, or seemingly random way.

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

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

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Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

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Supraventricular tachycardia: Abbreviated SVT. A regular, abnormally fast heart beat (tac...

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Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

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Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

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Syncope: Partial or complete loss of consciousness with interruption of awareness of one...

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

Tachycardia: A rapid heart rate, usually defined as greater than 100 beats per minute.

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

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Treadmill: A machine with a moving strip on which one walks without moving forward. A trea...

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Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

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Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

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Vagus nerve: A nerve that supplies nerve fibers to the pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box...

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Ventricle: A chamber of an organ. For example, the four connected cavities in the central ...

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

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

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

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Ventricular tachycardia: An abnormal heart rhythm that is rapid and regular and that origi...

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Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: A condition that is caused by an abnormality in the electr...

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WPW syndrome: Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

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