Dictionary

care, ambulatory See ambulatory care.

carditis Inflammation of the heart.

cardioverter A defibrillator that is used in cardioversion (the conversion of one cardiac rhythm to another). See also cardiac defibrillator, implantable.

cardioversion The conversion of a cardiac rhythm or electrical pattern to another, generally from an abnormal one to a normal one. Cardioversion can be accomplished by using medications or by electrical shock with a special defibrillator.

cardiovascular system The heart and blood vessels. Also known as circulatory system.

cardiovascular Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood vessels and carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the body and removes carbon dioxide and other wastes from them. Cardiovascular diseases are conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels and include arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, arrhythmia, heart…

cardiopulmonary resuscitation A life-saving emergency procedure that involves breathing for the victim and applying external chest compression to make the heart pump. Abbreviated CPR. In the early stages of a heart attack, death can often be avoided if a bystander starts CPR within 5 minutes of the onset of ventricular fibrillation. When paramedics arrive, medications…

cardiopulmonary bypass Bypass of the heart and lungs (for example, during open-heart surgery). Blood returning to the heart is diverted through a heart-lung machine (a pump-oxygenator) before it is returned to the arterial circulation. The machine does the work of both the heart and the lungs, by pumping blood as well as supplying oxygen to…

cardiopulmonary Having to do with both the heart and lungs.

cardioplegia Paralysis of the heart, as may be done electively in stopping the heart during cardiac surgery. Cardioplegia may be done using chemicals, cold (cryocardioplegia), or electrical stimulation.

cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic A heart defect characterized by increased thickness (hypertrophy) of the wall of the left ventricle, the largest of the four chambers of the heart.

cardiomyopathy Disease of the heart muscle (myocardium).