Cardiology Terms

Question 1

Ablation

Answer 1

Targeted removal of tissue. Often used to fix heart rhythm problems by clearing obstacles or changing the path of electrical signals.

Question 2

Angiogram

Answer 2

A test that uses contrast day and X-ray to observe blood flow through the heart, arteries, or veins.

Question 3

Antiarrhythmic

Answer 3

A drug used to treat irregular heart rhythms.

Question 4

Anticoagulant

Answer 4

A drug used to thin blood.

Question 5

Arrhythmia

Answer 5

Irregular heartbeat.

Question 6

Atrioventricular node

Answer 6

Cells near the center of the heart that pick up electrical signals and pass them to the lower chambers of the heart.

Question 7

Atrium/Atria

Answer 7

One of the two upper chambers of the heart. The plural of atrium is atria.

Question 8

Beta blocker

Answer 8

A drug used to block epinephrine. Commonly known as adrenaline, this hormone raises blood pressure.

Question 9

Bradycardia

Answer 9

Abnormally slow heartbeat.

Question 10

Bundle branch block

Answer 10

A problem with the heart where the conduction system can’t conduct electricity correctly. This causes irregular heart rhythm.

Question 11

Cardiac catheterization

Answer 11

A procedure where a thin, hollow tube is fed through a blood vessel into the heart in order to diagnose and treat certain heart conditions.

Question 12

Cardioversion

Answer 12

Applying electrical shocks to the chest to turn an irregular heartbeat to a regular heartbeat. Can also be done with medication in some cases.

Question 13

Conduction system

Answer 13

The fibers that carry electrical impulses through the heart

Question 14

Cryoablation

Answer 14

Removal of tissue using a cold probe.

Question 15

Defibrillator

Answer 15

A device used to restore normal heart rhythm using an electric shock.

Question 16

Echocardiography

Answer 16

A way to study the heart by bouncing sound waves off the heart and recording them with an electronic sensor. Also known as an ultrasound of the heart, this diagnostic test creates a picture of the heart.

Question 17

Electrocardiogram

Answer 17

A test conducted with sensors placed on the body to sense electrical information related to the heartbeat. Commonly known as an ECG or EKG.

Question 18

Electrophysiological study

Answer 18

A test used to study arrhythmias. The doctor uses an electrical current to stimulate the heart and force an arrhythmia to help diagnose and determine the best course of treatment.

Question 19

Fibrillation

Answer 19

Uncoordinated and disordered contractions of heart fibers. A heart chamber in fibrillation cannot pump blood effectively. This can occur as atrial fibrillation (AFib) or ventricular fibrillation.

Question 20

First-degree heart block

Answer 20

A slowing of the electrical signal in the upper chamber of the heart.

Question 21

Flutter

Answer 21

Fast and uncoordinated contractions. Not as disordered as fibrillation.

Question 22

Heart block

Answer 22

A delay or blockage in the electrical system in the heart.

Question 23

Holter monitor

Answer 23

A wearable device used to record the heart rhythm over a longer period of time than an in-office test. It’s often used to find intermittent problems that might not show up in a regular scan.

Question 24

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Answer 24

A machine that monitors heart rate and rhythm and delivers electrical energy to the heart to stabilize abnormally fast rhythms.

Question 25

Maze surgery

Answer 25

A surgery that uses a pattern of cuts to create new electrical pathways in the heart.

Question 26

Pacemaker

Answer 26

A machine that is surgically implanted in the body to help regulate the heartbeat.

Question 27

Palpitation

Answer 27

The feeling caused by irregular heartbeats.

Question 28

Premature ventricular contraction

Answer 28

A contraction in the lower chambers of the heart that’s out of sync with the rest of the heart. The contract may occur too soon or may simply be an extra contraction.

Question 29

Second-degree heart block

Answer 29

A delay in the heart’s electrical signals between the upper and lower chambers.

Question 30

Sick sinus syndrome

Answer 30

A disease caused by the heart’s sinus node failing to properly regulate rhythm.

Question 31

Sinus node

Answer 31

The cluster of cells that produces electrical impulses that travel through the heart to keep it in time.

Question 32

Sinus Rhythm

Answer 32

The normal regular rhythm of the heart set by the natural pacemaker of he heart called the sinoatrial (or sinus) node.

Question 33

Stokes-Adams disease

Answer 33

A condition that occurs when the electrical impulses in the top half of the heart can’t reach the bottom, which typically leads to fainting spells.

Question 34

Syncope

Answer 34

Loss of consciousness caused by lack of blood flow to the brain. Often caused by arrhythmia

Question 35

Tachycardia

Answer 35

Abnormally fast heartbeat.

Question 36

Transesophageal echocardiography

Answer 36

A test that bounces sound waves off the heart by means of a tube inserted down the throat.

Question 37

Ventricle

Answer 37

One of the two lower chambers of the heart.

Question 38

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Answer 38

A disease caused by an extra electrical pathway connecting the upper and lower chambers of the heart.