Glossary of Cardiovascular Terms
al·ve·o·li
A tiny, thin-walled, capillary-rich sac in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. Also called air sac.
al·ve·o·lus
A tiny, thin-walled, capillary-rich sac in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. Also called air sac.
am·mo·nia
A colorless, pungent gas, NH3, extensively used to manufacture fertilizers and a wide variety of nitrogen-containing organic and inorganic chemicals.
a·or·ta
The main trunk of the systemic arteries, carrying blood from the left side of the heart to the arteries of all limbs and organs except the lungs.
ar·ter·ies
Any of the muscular elastic tubes that form a branching system and that carry blood away from the heart to the cells, tissues, and organs of the body.
atrium
n 1: any chamber that is connected to other chambers or passageways (especially one of the two upper chambers of the heart)
blad·der
Any of various distensible membranous sacs, such as the urinary bladder, that serve as receptacles for fluid or gas.
bron·chus
Either of two main branches of the trachea, leading directly to the lungs.
cap·il·lar·ies
One of the minute blood vessels that connect arterioles and venules. These blood vessels form an intricate network throughout the body for the interchange of various substances, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, between blood and tissue cells.
carbon dioxide
A heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances; absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis.
cham·ber
An enclosed space in the body of an organism; a cavity: the four chambers of the heart.
clot
A thick, viscous, or coagulated mass or lump, as of blood
con·tract
To become reduced in size by or as if by being drawn together.
di·a·phragm (d-frm)
A musculomembranous partition separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities and functioning in respiration.
To breathe out, To emit a gas, vapor, or odor.
in·fec·tion
Invasion by and multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms in a bodily part or tissue, which may produce subsequent tissue injury and progress to overt disease through a variety of cellular or toxic mechanisms
inhale
v 1: draw deep into the lungs in by breathing; "2: draw in (air); "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well" [syn: inspire, breathe in] [ant: exhale]
liver
A large very vascular glandular organ of vertebrates that secretes bile and
causes important changes in many of the substances contained in the blood which
passes through it (as by converting sugars into glycogen which it stores up
until required and by forming urea), that in humans is the largest gland in the
body, weighs from 40 to 60 ounces (1100 to 1700 grams), is a dark red color, and
occupies the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity immediately below the
diaphragm, that is divided by fissures into five lobes, and that receives blood
both from the hepatic artery and the portal vein and returns it to the systemic
circulation by the hepatic veins
lung
Either of two spongy, saclike respiratory organs in most vertebrates, occupying the chest cavity together with the heart and functioning to remove carbon dioxide from the blood and provide it with oxygen.
A common nonmetallic element that in the free form is normally a colorless odorless tasteless insoluble inert diatomic gas comprising 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume and that in the combined form is a constituent of biologically important compounds (as proteins, nucleic acids, and alkaloids) and hence of all living cells as well as of industrially important substances (as cyanides, fertilizers, dyes, and antibiotics) —symbol N; —see ELEMENT table
organ
A differentiated part of an organism, such as an eye, wing, or leaf, that
performs a specific function.
oxygen
A colourless, odourless gaseous element belonging to group 16 of the
periodic table. It is the most abundant element present in the earth's
crust. It also makes up 28% of the Earth's atmosphere. For industrial
purposes, it is seperated from liquid air by fractional distillation. It
is used in high temperature welding, and in breathing. It commonly comes
in the form of Oxygen, but is found as Ozone in the upper atmosphere. It
was discovered by Priestley in 1774.
The clear, yellowish fluid portion of blood, lymph, or intramuscular fluid in
which cells are suspended. It differs from serum in that it contains fibrin and
other soluble clotting elements.
plate·let
A minute, nonnucleated, disklike cytoplasmic body found in the blood plasma of mammals that is derived from a megakaryocyte and functions to promote blood clotting. Also called blood platelet, thrombocyte.
protein
Proteins are fundamental components of all living cells and include many
substances, such as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies, that are necessary to the
functioning of an organism. They are essential in the diet of animals for the
growth and repair of tissue and can be obtained from foods such as meat, fish,
eggs, milk, and legumes.
re·ceive
To take or intercept the impact of.
red blood cell
A cell in the blood of vertebrates that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide to
and from the tissues. In mammals, the red blood cell is disk-shaped and
biconcave, contains hemoglobin, and lacks a nucleus. Also called erythrocyte,
red cell, red corpuscle.
u·re·a
A water-soluble compound, CO(NH2)2, that is the major nitrogenous end product of protein metabolism and is the chief nitrogenous component of the urine in mammals and other organisms. Also called carbamide.
u·rine
The waste product secreted by the kidneys that in mammals is a yellow to amber-colored, slightly acid fluid discharged from the body through the urethra.
vein
Any of the membranous tubes that form a branching system and carry blood to the heart.
vena ca·va
Either of two large veins that drain blood from the upper body and from the lower body and empty into the right atrium of the heart.
ven·tri·cle
A small cavity or chamber within a body or organ.
waste
Excreted from or stored in inert form in a living body as a by-product of vital activity
white blood cell
Any of various blood cells that have a nucleus and cytoplasm, separate into a thin white layer when whole blood is centrifuged, and help protect the body from infection and disease. White blood cells include neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes. Also called leukocyte, white cell, white corpuscle
All definitions taken from www.dictionary.com with permission.