Diagnostic Tests & Procedures
A radiograph test that uses a contrast agent (dye) and a camera to take pictures of the blood flow in arteries or veins.
angiogram
The transfer of blood, or blood components such as red blood cells, from a donor to a recipient
blood transfusion
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
atrioventricular
AV
Disorder involving a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin
anemia
Process of listening to the internal sounds of the body using a stethoscope.
auscultation
The replacement of diseased bone-marrow cells in a patient with healthy bone-marrow cells from a donor
bone marrow transplant
Medication used to prevent or alleviate angina (spasmodic chest pain).
antianginal
blood pressure
BP
Disorder in which the bone marrow does not produce enough new red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets.
aplastic anemia
The pressure exerted by the blood on the wall of an artery or vein. Blood pressure is measured using a sphygmomanometer (SFIG-moh-muh-NAH-muh-tur).
Blood pressure (BP)
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
bloodwork
BW
Disorder marked by excessive destruction of RBCs.
hemolytic 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
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)
An agent used to prevent the formation of blood clots. Also known as a blood thinner.
anticoagulant
coronary artery bypass graft
CABG
Condition in which the body does not have enough red blood cells due to lack of iron, which is a mineral essential for hemoglobin production.
iron-deficient anemia
Procedure in which blood flow and blood pressure are measured using ultrasound technology (high-frequency sound waves). The sound waves are “bounced” off red blood cells as they circulate through the blood vessels. Doppler sonography differs from standard ultrasound imaging procedures in that the latter cannot measure blood flow. Also called Doppler ultrasound.
Doppler sonography, Doppler ultrasound
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 used to counteract high blood pressure.
antihypertensive
hematocrit (the proportion of the volume of blood that contains RBCs)
HCT, Hct
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