acute myocardial infarction: The medical term for a heart attack.
acid reflux: A condition where stomach acid leaks into the esophagus.
aneurysm: An abnormal blood-filled bulge in a blood vessel that can rupture and cause internal bleeding.
angina pectoris: A condition that causes severe chest pain due to heart muscle spasms.
angiopathy: A disease of the blood vessels. Also a disease of the lymph vessels.
angioplasty: Surgery to repair a blood vessel.
anticoagulant: Any medication or substance that impairs coagulation (blood clotting).
aorta: The main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
aortic: Of or related to the aorta.
aortic aneurysm: A bulge, or widening in the wall of the aorta.
arrhythmia: An abnormal heart rhythm that can affect the speed, strength or regularity of the heart beat.
artery: Any blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body.
aspiration: The act of inhaling.
asthma: A lung disorder that causes the lung's airways to narrow and spasm, causing wheezing, chest constriction and coughing.
atherosclerosis: A progressive narrowing of the artery walls due to fatty deposits accumulating on the artery walls.
blood clot: An abnormal mass of coagulated blood in a blood vessel.
cardiac: Of or related to the heart.
cardiac tamponade: Abnormal compression of the heart by blood or other fluid in the pericardial space (the membrane that surrounds the heart).
cardiopulmonary: Of or related to the heart and lungs.
chest: The upper portion of the body that is protected by the ribs and sternum.
collapsed lung: The inability of a lung to expand and inflate.
congenital heart disease: A disease or deformity of the heart present from birth.
congestive heart failure: A condition that occurs when the heart cannot pump adequate blood.
contraction: A tightening of a muscle.
coronary arteries: Arteries that deliver oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle.
coronary artery disease: An abnormal reduction in blood flow to the coronary arteries.
costochondritis: An inflammation of chest wall cartilage.
CT scan: A diagnostic tool that provides sectional views of the body.
dilate: To open or widen.
dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing.
electrocardiogram: A recording of the heart's electrical activity.
embolism: A dangerous condition where an embolus (blood clot) blocks a blood vessel.
embolus: A blood clot that breaks free from its point of origin and travels through the blood vessels.
esophagitis: Inflammation of the esophagus, the tube connecting the throat to the stomach.
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