Anatomy & Physiology
This chamber of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body.
What is the right atrium?
Chest pain caused by decreased blood flow to the heart muscle.
What is angina?
This test records the electrical activity of the heart.
What is an ECG or EKG?
This medication is commonly used to treat chest pain and dilates blood vessels.
What is nitroglycerin?
This common symptom feels like chest pressure, squeezing, or heaviness and may radiate to the left arm or jaw.
What is chest pain (angina)?
These two valves prevent backflow into the ventricles during diastole.
What are the semilunar valves?
A heart attack caused by complete blockage of a coronary artery.
What is a myocardial infarction?
A device used to measure oxygen saturation in the blood.
What is a pulse oximeter?
These medications help lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels.
What are antihypertensives?
This symptom is described as “difficulty breathing,” especially with exertion or lying flat.
What is shortness of breath (dyspnea)?
This node is considered the heart’s natural pacemaker.
What is the SA node?
A rapid heart rhythm above 100 bpm.
What is tachycardia?
This test uses ultrasound waves to create images of the heart’s structure and function.
What is an echocardiogram?
A device that delivers controlled oxygen levels to patients with breathing difficulty.
What is a nasal cannula?
This sign appears as swelling of the ankles, feet, or legs due to fluid retention.
What is edema?
This circulation route carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs.
What is the pulmonary circulation?
This condition occurs when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
What is congestive heart failure?
A lung function test measuring how much air you can exhale in one second.
What is FEV1?
A class of medications used to reduce fluid overload in heart failure patients.
What are diuretics?
A patient describes their heart as “fluttering,” “racing,” or “skipping beats.”
What are palpitations?
This term describes the volume of blood ejected from the ventricle with each contraction.
What is stroke volume?
A disorder where the heart rhythm becomes irregular due to atrial quivering
What is atrial fibrillation?
This diagnostic imaging checks for blood flow blockages in coronary arteries.
What is a cardiac catheterization?
A life-saving shock delivered to correct certain deadly heart rhythms.
What is defibrillation?
Sudden nighttime episodes where a patient wakes up gasping for air are known as this.
What is paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND)?
These vessels supply oxygen-rich blood directly to the heart muscle itself.
What are the coronary arteries?
A condition in which the heart muscle becomes thickened, making it harder for the heart to pump blood.
What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?
These vessels supply oxygen-rich blood directly to the heart muscle itself.
What are the coronary arteries?
This condition occurs when a blood clot or plaque blocks blood flow to the brain, often caused by heart-related clots.
What is an ischemic stroke?