Cardiovascular Assessment Terminology + Abbreviations

Cardiovascular Assessment Terminology + Abbreviations 1. Inspection: using the senses of vision, smell, & hearing to observe and detect any expected or abnormal findings 2. Palpation: using parts of the hand to touch and feel for expected or abnormal findings 3. Auscultation: an assessment technique that requires use of a stethoscope to listen for sounds that are not audible to the human ear 4. Stethoscope Diaphragm: when held firmly against the skin, the diaphragm picks up high-pitched sounds such as breath sounds 5. Stethoscope Bell: when held lightly against the skin, the bell picks up abnormal low-pitched sounds such as extra heart sounds, murmurs, or bruits 6. Precordium: the anterior chest area that overlies the heart and great vessels 7. Intercostal Space (ICS): the space between two ribs 8. Midclavicular Line (MCL): an imaginary line parallel to the long axis of the body and passing through the midpoint of the clavicle 9. Apex of the Heart: the inferior (bottom) tip of the heart –located at the Left 5th ICS MCL 10. Base of the Heart: the top of the heart 11. Atrioventricular (AV) Valves: the triscupid valve and the mitral (bicuspid) valve 12. Semilunar Valves: the pulmonic valve and the aortic valve 13. Pericardium: a tough, loose-fitting, fibrous sac that surrounds the heart 14. Electrocardiogram EKG (or ECG): a recording of the electrical activity of the cardiac muscle 15. Cardiac Cycle: consists of diastole and systole—the filling and emptying of the heart’s chambers 16. Bruit: a blowing or swishing sound heart upon auscultation over an artery—cased by turbulent blood flow through a narrowed vessel and is indicative of occlusive arterial disease Cardiovascular Assessment Terminology + Abbreviations 17. Murmur: an abnormal swishing sound heard upon auscultation over the heart/precordium—caused by turbulent blood flow through the heart valves or great vessels 18. Heaves (or Lifts): abnormal visible pulsations on the right-precordium 19. Thrills: abnormal vibrations felt upon palpation of the apex, left sternal border, and base—associated with a grade IV or higher murmur 20. MI: myocardial infarction 21. CHF: congestive heart failure 22. acute coronary syndrome: a constellation of signs and symptoms due to the rupture of atherosclerotic plaque and resultant partial or complete thrombosis within a diseased coronary artery; leads to unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction 23. afterload: the amount of resistance to ejection of blood from the ventricle 24. apical impulse: impulse normally palpated at the fifth intercostal space, left midclavicular line; caused by contraction of the left ventricle; also called the point of maximal impulse 25. atrioventricular (AV) node: secondary pacemaker of the heart, located in the right atrial wall near the tricuspid valve 26. baroreceptors: nerve fibers located in the aortic arch and carotid arteries that are responsible for control of the blood pressure 27. cardiac catheterization: an invasive procedure used to measure cardiac chamber pressures and assess patency of the coronary arteries 28. cardiac conduction system: specialized heart cells strategically located throughout the heart that are responsible for methodically generating and coordinating the transmission of electrical impulses to the myocardial cells 29. cardiac output (CO): amount of blood pumped by each ventricle in liters per minute Cardiovascular Assessment Terminology + Abbreviations 30. cardiac stress test: a test used to evaluate the functioning of the heart during a period of increased oxygen demand; test may be initiated by exercise or medications 31. contractility: ability of the cardiac muscle to shorten in response to an electrical impulse 32. depolarization: electrical activation of a cell caused by the influx of sodium into the cell while potassium exits the cell 33. diastole: period of ventricular relaxation resulting in ventricular filling 34. ejection fraction: percentage of the end-diastolic blood volume ejected from the ventricle with each heartbeat 35. hemodynamic monitoring: the use of pressure monitoring devices to directly measure cardiovascular function 36. hypertension: blood pressure that is persistently greater than 140/90 mm Hg 37. hypotension: a decrease in blood pressure to less than 100/60 mm Hg that compromises systemic perfusion 38. myocardial ischemia: condition in which heart muscle cells receive less oxygen than needed 39. myocardium: muscle layer of the heart responsible for the pumping action of the heart 40. normal heart sounds: sounds produced when the valves close; normal heart sounds are S1 (atrioventricular valves) and S2 (semilunar valves) 41. opening snaps: abnormal diastolic sound generated during opening of a rigid atrioventricular valve leaflet 42. postural (orthostatic) hypotension: a significant drop in blood pressure (20 mm Hg systolic or more or 10 mm Hg diastolic or more) after an upright posture is assumed 43. preload: degree of stretch of the cardiac muscle fibers at the end of diastole Cardiovascular Assessment Terminology + Abbreviations 44. pulmonary vascular resistance: resistance to blood flow out of the right ventricle created by the pulmonary circulatory system 45. pulse deficit: the difference between the apical and radial pulse rates 46. repolarization: return of the cell to resting state, caused by reentry of potassium into the cell while sodium exits the cell 47. S1: the first heart sound produced by closure of the atrioventricular (mitral and tricuspid) valves 48. S2: the second heart sound produced by closure of the semilunar (aortic and pulmonic) valves 49. S3: an abnormal heart sound detected early in diastole as resistance is met to blood entering either ventricle; most often due to volume overload associated with heart failure 50. S4: an abnormal heart sound detected late in diastole as resistance is met to blood entering either ventricle during atrial contraction; most often caused by hypertrophy of the ventricle 51. sinoatrial (SA) node: primary pacemaker of the heart, located in the right atrium 52. systole: period of ventricular contraction resulting in ejection of blood from the ventricles into the pulmonary artery and aorta 53. systolic click: abnormal systolic sound created by the opening of a calcified aortic or pulmonic valve during ventricular contraction 54. telemetry: the process of continuous electrocardiographic monitoring by the transmission of radio waves from a battery-operated transmitter worn by the patient 55. stroke volume: amount of blood ejected from one of the ventricles per heartbeat 56. systemic vascular resistance: resistance to blood flow out of the left ventricle created by the systemic circulatory system