Anatomy/Physiology
This chamber of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs.
What is the left atrium?
This lettering system is used to describe the heartbeat (100 bonus points if you can name what each component represents).
What is PQRST system (P wave: atrial depolarization, QRS complex ventricular depolarization, t wave: ventricular depolarization)?
This term describes chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.
What is angina?
This non-invasive test measures the heart's electrical activity and is crucial for diagnosing arrhythmias.
What is an electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG)?
This test is a cardiological examination that evaluates the cardiovascular system's response to external stress within a controlled clinical setting.
What is the bruce protocol?
This layer of the heart wall is the thickest and responsible for the pumping action.
What is myocardium?
This common arrhythmia is characterized by rapid, irregular atrial contractions and loss of atrial kick.
What is atrial fibrillation?
This term describes a blood clot that has traveled to another region.
What is an embolus?
This imaging technique uses sound waves to create moving pictures of the heart.
What is an echocardiogram?
This procedure uses a catheter to widen narrowed or obstructed arteries.
What is angioplasty?
This bundle of specialized cardiac muscle fibers conducts electrical impulses from the AV node to the ventricles.
What is the bundle of His?
This life-threatening arrhythmia is characterized by rapid, chaotic ventricular contractions and absence of pulse.
What is ventricular fibrillation?
This chronic disease process involves the buildup of plaque in the walls of arteries, leading to narrowing and hardening of the vessels.
What is atherosclerosis?
This imaging technique uses positron-emitting radionuclides to assess myocardial perfusion, metabolism, and viability.
What is Positron Emission Tomography (PET)?
This surgical procedure creates a new path for blood flow using a vessel from another part of the body.
What is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)?
This specialized tissue in the heart acts as a natural pacemaker, initiating each heartbeat.
What is the sinoatrial (SA) node?
This arrhythmia is characterized by its saw-tooth pattern and rapid beating of the atria.
What is atrial flutter?
A blockage in this artery is known as the “Widowmaker heart attack.”
What is the left anterior descending (LAD) artery?
This invasive diagnostic procedure involves threading a thin tube through blood vessels to the heart to measure pressures, take samples, and visualize coronary arteries.
What is cardiac catheterization?
This procedure uses radiofrequency energy or extreme cold to create scar tissue in the heart, interrupting abnormal electrical pathways.
What is cardiac ablation?
This is the entire pathway of how blood flows in the heart (including valves and veins/arteries).
What is the vena cava → right atrium → tricuspid valve → right ventricle → pulmonary valve → pulmonary artery → lungs → pulmonary vein → left atrium → mitral/bicuspid valve → left ventricle → aortic valve → aorta → rest of body?
This arrhythmia occurs when too many electrical impulses are sent from the atria to the ventricles. It is characterized by having different types of P-waves.
What is multifocal atrial tachycardia?
This acute condition occurs when blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, causing damage or death to heart muscle tissue.
What is myocardial infarction?
This advanced imaging technique uses phase contrast to quantify blood flow and assess complex flow patterns in cardiovascular structures.
What is 4D flow MRI?
This mechanical circulatory support device is surgically implanted to partially or completely replace the function of a failing heart.
What is a left ventricular assist device (LVAD)?