Diagnostic Tests & Procedures
The pressure exerted by the blood on the wall of an artery or vein. Blood pressure is measured using a sphygmomanometer
blood pressure (BP)
The replacement of diseased bone-marrow cells in a patient with healthy bone-marrow cells from a donor
bone marrow transplant
Medications that help dissolve blood clots.
thrombolytic
BP
blood pressure
Disorder involving a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin
anemia
A record of the electrical activity of the heart
electrocardiogram
The transfer of blood, or blood components such as red blood cells, from a donor to a recipient
blood transfusion
Medication that helps reduce excess water in the body.
diuretic
do not resuscitate
Genetic disease in which the body manufactures red blood cells that are shaped like a sickle, or crescent, rather than the normal disk shape. Sickle-shaped RBCs disrupt blood flow in the blood vessels
sickle-cell anemia
Passage of a tiny plastic tube into the heart through a blood vessel, usually through the femoral artery in the leg; used to diagnose heart diseases or abnormalities
cardiac catheterization
Procedure in which controlled electrical shocks are sent through the heart to restore normal cardiac rhythm in a patient with arrhythmia.
cardioversion
An agent used to alleviate or prevent cardiac arrhythmia.
antiarrhythmic
DVT
deep vein thrombosis
Localized, balloon-like dilation of a blood vessel, usually an artery
aneurysm
Process of listening to the internal sounds of the body using a stethoscope
auscultation
A shunt (passageway), established surgically, that allows blood to travel from the aorta to a branch of the coronary artery at a point beyond an obstruction
coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
Medication used to prevent or alleviate angina (spasmodic chest pain).
antianginal
PLT's
platelets
Irregular heartbeat
arrhythmia
A radiograph test that uses a contrast agent (dye) and a camera to take pictures of the blood flow in arteries or veins.
angiogram
Procedure used to stop atrial or ventricular fibrillation (an irregular and usually rapid heartbeat) by means of drugs or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) surgically placed in the chest or abdomen
defibrillation
Medication that keeps the body from making angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to constrict (narrow). Because ACE inhibitors prevent blood-vessel constriction, they help treat hypertension (high blood pressure).
angiotensin-converting (ACE) inhibitor
WBC
white blood cell
Condition in which the atria beat more rapidly than the ventricles, causing a quivering movement.
flutter