Glossary
ACE inhibitor - A drug that inhibits ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme), which is important to the formation of angiotensin II. Angiotensin II causes arteries in the body to constrict, thereby raising the blood pressure. ACE inhibitors lower the blood pressure by inhibiting the formation of angiotensin II. This relaxes the arteries. Relaxing the arteries not only lowers blood pressure, but also improves the pumping efficiency of a weak or damaged heart and improves cardiac output in patients with heart failure.
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Anemia - A condition characterized by abnormally low levels of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.
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Aorta - The main artery from the heart, it carries blood from the left ventricle of the heart to arteries that provide bloodflow to the rest of the body.
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Arrhythmia - Any loss of rhythm in the heart, most commonly referred to as an irregular heartbeat.
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Arteries - Thick, muscular tubes that carry blood away from the heart.
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Atherosclerosis - A condition where deposits also know as "plaque" form on the inside surface of the arteries and cause a narrowing, leading to diminished blood flow and eventual blockage. Commonly referred to as "hardening" of the arteries. It is caused by the formation of multiple deposits within the arteries.
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Beta-blocker - Any of the various drugs used to treat high blood pressure or arrhythmias that decrease the force and rate of heart contractions by blocking receptors in the heart.
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Biventricular - Pertaining to both the left and right ventricles of the heart.
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Blood clots - A mass or lump that results from thickening of the blood.
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Blood panel - A laboratory test done on blood to gain an appreciation of how the organs are functioning. Since blood flows throughout the body, providing oxygen and other nutrients and drawing waste products back to the excretory systems for disposal, the state of blood is affected by many medical conditions, including heart failure. Red and white blood cells and blood chemistry are both vital sources of information about heart conditions.
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Blood thinner - Medication used to prevent blood clots or keep the blood in a liquid form.
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Blood vessels - The extensive network of flexible tubes that carries blood to and from the heart and throughout the body. Blood vessels include arteries and veins.
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Bridge-to-transplant (BTT) - Refers to temporary support for advanced-stage heart failure patients who are waiting for their heart transplant and involves the use of a ventricular assist device (VAD).
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Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) - CRT is indicated for Class III chronic heart failure patients to minimize symptoms and provide improvements in quality of life. CRT includes the placement of a biventricular pacemaker.
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Cardiomyopathy - Any disease of the heart muscle that leads to an enlarged and damaged heart that has impaired function.
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Cardiopulmonary - Pertaining to or affecting both the heart and the lungs and their functions.
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Coronary artery disease - A disease in which deposits containing cholesterol and fat are deposited within large and medium-size arteries.
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Destination therapy - Permanent support for advanced-stage heart failure patients who are not eligible for a heart transplant. Destination therapy refers to the implantation of a ventricular assist device (VAD) for long-term use, rather than as a bridge-to-transplant.
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Diuretics (or water pills) - Are drugs that increase the loss of water and salt from the body through the excretion of urine.
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Dyspnea - A term describing difficult or labored breathing. A common symptom of numerous medical disorders, including heart failure.
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Echocardiogram - A picture of the heart created through the use of sound waves that provides an accurate assessment of the heart's function.
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Edema - The swelling of soft tissues as a result of excess water accumulation. Edema can occur in almost any location in the body, but the most common sites are the feet and ankles.
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Ejection fraction - A measurement of the fraction of blood pumped out of a ventricle with each heart beat.
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Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - An electric measurement of the speed and manner in which the heart beats. ECGs are a prime tool for the screening and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. They are used to determine whether the heart is performing normally or suffering from abnormalities including arrhythmia or cardiomyopathy . ECGs are also used as a screening tool for heart disease during an exercise tolerance test.
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Exercise tolerance test (cardiac stress test or exercise stress test) - A test performed to evaluate the ability of the arterial blood flow to the heart muscle to increase during the stress of physical exercise, compared to blood flow while at rest.
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Heart attack / Myocardial infarction - Destruction of heart tissue resulting from coronary artery disease.
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Heartbeat - One complete contraction of the heart.
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Heart chambers - The four sections of the heart through which blood is pumped. The two upper chambers are called the left atrium and right atrium. The two lower chambers are the left and right ventricles. Oxygen-rich blood from the lungs enters the left atrium, while oxygen-depleted blood from the rest of the body flows into the right atrium. Both atria simultaneously pump blood into the ventricles. The ventricles then pump the blood to the lungs (from the right ventricle) and to the rest of the body (from the left ventricle). The left ventricle performs 80% of the heart's work.
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Heart failure (HF) - Also called congestive heart failure (CHF), a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that weakens or damages the heart and impairs its ability to fill with blood or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. Blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body's tissues and organs, which are vital for healthy functioning. Heart failure compromises this delivery system and reduces the body's ability to function.
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Heart failure studies - Clinical research studies are designed to test the effectiveness and safety of new devices, therapies and techniques, or to study new ways of using existing heart failure treatments. These studies are highly regulated and are often an opportunity for very ill patients to gain access to not-yet-readily-available therapies. Clinical studies are conducted with the goal of developing the best treatments for heart failure.
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Inotropes - Drugs that affect the strength of contraction of the heart muscle (myocardial contractility). Both positive and negative inotropes are used in the management of various cardiovascular conditions.
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Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) - Provides the full range of treatment options for acute-, mid- and long-term circulatory assistance to improve quality and length of life for people with advanced-stage heart failure.
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Orthopnea - Breathing difficulty that occurs when lying flat.
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Risk factors - The list of factors including activities or health habits that contribute to or cause the worsening of heart failure, including drinking alcohol, diabetes, smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, salt intake and obesity. These factors can be reduced or limited by making appropriate lifestyle changes.
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Tachycardia - An abnormally rapid heartbeat, defined as a resting heart rate of 100 or more beats per minute in an average adult. It can have harmful effects, in two ways. First, when the heart beats too rapidly, it performs inefficiently. There is not enough time for the ventricles to fill completely, causing cardiac output to diminish. Second, it increases the work of the heart, causing it to require more oxygen and reducing the blood flow to the cardiac muscle tissue.
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Valves - Flap-like structures that serve to keep blood flowing in one direction through a canal or tubular structure.
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Vasodilators - Medications that cause the widening of blood vessels following the relaxation of the muscle in the vessel wall. Since there is more room for the blood to flow, blood pressure is reduced.
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Ventricular assist device (VAD) - An implanted mechanical device that helps pump blood through the aorta and out to the body.
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