Cardiovascular Terminology Quiz

Cardiovascular Terminology

• Aneurysm/o refers to a widened blood vessel which may lead to medical complications if not monitored.
• Angi/o and vascul/o both denote vessels, typically blood or lymph, indicating their significance in the circulatory system.
• Aort/o specifically pertains to the aorta, the largest artery in the body responsible for distributing oxygenated blood.

Arterial and Venous Terms

• Arteri/o is the term for artery, essential for carrying blood away from the heart.
• Arteriol/o refers to arterioles, the smaller branches of arteries that lead to capillaries.
• Phleb/o and ven/o both signify veins, which carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart.

Cardiac Vocabulary

• Atri/o signifies the atrium, one of the upper chambers of the heart.
• Cardi/o and coron/o both relate to the heart, with coron/o specifically addressing coronary aspects.
• Ventricul/o denotes the ventricle, one of the lower chambers of the heart responsible for pumping blood out.

Vascular Health Terms

• Ather/o refers to fatty plaque, a substance that may accumulate in arteries leading to atherosclerosis.
• Thromb/o denotes a blood clot, which can disrupt blood flow and lead to serious health issues.
• Sten/o indicates narrowing or stricture within blood vessels, which can cause decreased blood flow.

Diagnostic Terminology

• -gram signifies a record or writing, often used in medical imaging or test results.
• -graph refers to an instrument used for recording physiological information, such as echocardiograms.
• -graphy indicates the process of recording data, essential in various imaging modalities.

Prefixes Relating to Location and Conditions

• Brady- means slow, which can refer to heart rate or other bodily functions.
• Endo- signifies inside or within, often used in terms like endocarditis (inflammation within the heart).
• Extra- means outside, indicating conditions that occur outside a normal range or location.
• Peri- denotes around, commonly used in terms like pericardium, which encases the heart.
• Trans- refers to across, helping describe processes like transcutaneous (across the skin).

Other Important Terms

• My/o relates to muscle, key in understanding cardiac and vascular function.
• Embol/o signifies an embolus, a plug that can obstruct blood vessels and impede circulation.
• Scler/o indicates hardening, relevant to conditions like arteriosclerosis, which affects vascular elasticity.