Cardiology Terminology Quiz

Cardiology Terms and Definitions

• Apical impulse: Identified as the point of maximal impulse (PMI); occurs during systole when the left ventricle rotates against the chest wall, typically located at the 5th left intercostal space along the midclavicular line.

• Apical pulse: Measured with a stethoscope near the apex of the heart to assess heart function.

• Diastole: Refers to the heart's filling phase, characterized by the relaxation of the heart muscles, allowing them to fill with blood.

• Edema: Describes swelling in the legs or any dependent body parts caused by an accumulation of interstitial fluid.

• Lift/heave: Indicates a sustained, forceful thrust of the ventricles during systole, often visible or palpable in patients with heart or respiratory conditions; can be a sign of heart hypertrophy.

• Murmur: A whooshing or swishing sound resulting from turbulent blood flow within the heart; may arise from increased blood flow or valvular heart disease.

• Orthopnea: A condition where a patient experiences shortness of breath or difficulty breathing when lying down, often related to heart or lung conditions.

• Palpitations: The subjective feeling of an abnormal awareness of heartbeats, characterized by rapid or irregular heart rates, described as pounding or racing.

• Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND): Sudden respiratory distress that occurs after a few hours of sleep, often causing patients to wake up gasping for air.

• Physiological split: A normal phenomenon noted in the second heart sound (S2), where two distinct sounds are heard during inspiration, due to the closure of the atrioventricular (AV) valve before the pulmonic valve (PV) caused by increased venous return.

• Precordium: The area of the chest wall superficial to the heart and great vessels, often examined during cardiac assessments.

• Sinus dysrhythmia: A normal heart rhythm variation where the heart rate increases with inhalation and decreases with exhalation.

• Syncope: A temporary loss of consciousness (fainting) resulting from decreased blood flow to the brain, frequently due to conditions like ventricular asystole, pronounced bradycardia, or ventricular fibrillation.

• Systole: The phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart muscles contract and pump blood out of the heart.

• Thrill: A palpable vibration on the chest wall associated with severe or loud heart murmurs, indicating turbulence in blood flow.