Ross
Well-known member
A glossary of the most used cardiac acronyms and medical shorthand found in ValveReplacement.com-Special thanks to Bonzodog, Aaronj, Bina, Ctyguy, Mary, Njean and Superbob for their help and support.
September 30, 2008
A
AAA – Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (a swollen and weak spot in
the part of the aortic artery that’s down near the stomach)
ACT - AntiCoagulation Therapy (when you take “blood thinner”
medication to avoid strokes)
AFib - Atrial Fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm)
AFlut – Atrial Flutter (an abnormal heart rhythm)
AI – Aortic Insufficiency (when there’s not enough blood to
fill the aortic artery after the heart beat)
Antibiotic Prophylaxis - (when you take antibiotics before a
dentist or other medical procedure)
AO – Aortic Valve Opening (how big the aortic valve can
open)
Ao – Aorta or Aortic Artery (the main blood vessel where
fresh blood leaves the heart to go to the brain and body)
APG – Aortic Pressure Gradient (the amount of force of the
blood flowing though the aortic valve)
AR – Aortic Regurgitation (when the aortic valve leaks)
AS – Aortic Stenosis (when the aortic valve is narrow from
being partially blocked)
ATAA – Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm also known as AA (a swollen and weak spot in the aortic root or arch
artery)
AV - Aortic Valve (the last heart valve blood passes through
before going to the body)
AV Node - AtrioVentricular Node (the area that controls the
electrical bursts that cause the heart to beat)
AVO – Aortic Valve Opening (how big the aortic valve can
open)
AVR - Aortic Valve Replacement or repair
B
BAV/BAVD - Bicuspid Aortic Valve/Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Disease (when a person is born with two flaps on his aortic
valve, instead of three)
BMP-Basic Metabolic Profile
BNP-Brain natriuretic peptide
BP - Blood Pressure (how much force the blood is pressing
with against your arteries)
BPM – Beats per Minute – (how fast the heart is beating)
C
CABG - Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (when they take a
section of vein from somewhere else in the body and use it
to run blood around a part of an artery that is blocked)
CAD - Coronary Artery Disease (when the arteries that bring
oxygen to your heart muscle is narrow or blocked)
CAT or CT Scan – see Computerized Axial Tomography Scan (a
super x-ray, that gives images in slices or even in 3D)
CATH – Cardiac Catheterization (when a tube is sent up a leg
or neck artery to the heart to measure valve opening sizes
and whether arteries to the heart are blocked.
CBC-Complete Blood Count
CCF – Cleveland Clinic Foundation – a heart surgery and
research hospital in Cleveland, OH.
CHD – Coronary Heart Disease (when the arteries that bring
oxygen to your heart muscle is narrow or blocked)
CHF – Congestive Heart Failure (when your heart is not
strong enough to pump out all the blood your body needs to
exercise)
COARCT - Coarctation of the Aorta (when there is a pinched
spot in the aortic artery)
CT/CAT Scan - Computerized Axial Tomography Scan (a super x
-ray, that gives images in slices or even in 3D)
CTD - Connective Tissue Disease (when your body produces
weak tissue, especially in the heart valves or the aortic
artery)
D
E
Echo – Echocardiogram (when the echo of a sound transmitter
is used to produce a picture of your heart – also called a
heart sonogram)
ECG –Echocardiogram (when the echo of a sound transmitter is
used to produce a picture of your heart – also called a
heart sonogram)
EF - Ejection Fraction (percent of blood pumped out of the
heart during one beat)
EKG – Electrocardiogram (a test that shows how the
electrical currents in your heart run, to see any abnormal
heart rhythms)
F
G
H
HIPAA – see Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (US law that gives patients a right to a copy of all of
their medical records and keeps them private from others)
HR - Heart Rate (how fast your heart beats)
I
INR – International Normalization Ratio (measures whether
enough warfarin [Coumadin] is in your blood to avoid
strokes)
J
K
L
LA - Left Atrium (the smaller, upper chamber where “fresh”
blood first enters the heart)
LV - Left Ventricle (the large, lower chamber of the heart
that pumps “fresh” blood to the brain and body)
LVED, LVEDD – Left Ventricle End Diameter Diastolic (a
measurement of the size of the left, lower chamber of the
heart while the heart is resting between beats)
LVES, LVEDS – see Left Ventricle End Diameter (a measurement
of the size of the left, lower chamber of the heart while
the heart is in the middle of a beat)
LVH –Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (when the left, lower
chamber of the heart grows too big)
M
MAZE - MAZE Procedure/Modified MAZE procedure (a way of
cutting or damaging the heart just right to stop abnormal
heartbeats like atrial fibrillation)
MI – Mitral Insufficiency (when the mitral valve leaks)
MR – Mitral Regurgitation (when the mitral valve leaks)
MRA - Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (an MRI test done with
injected dye done to look at the heart and the arteries near
the heart)
MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (test like an x-ray that
uses magnets instead of radiation to make the pictures)
MS – Mitral Stenosis (when the mitral valve is narrow or
blocked)
MT or MTD – see Myxomatous Tissue Disorder (when your body
produces weak tissue, especially in the heart valves or the
aortic artery)
MV - Mitral Valve (the first heart valve that fresh blood
from the lungs goes through)
MVP - Mitral Valve Prolapse (when the mitral valve is
floppy, and pushes in where it’s not supposed to be)
MVR - Mitral Valve Replacement or Repair
N
NSR – see Normal Sinus Rhythm (a normal heartbeat)
O
OHS - Open Heart Surgery
On-X – a particular brand of mechanical valve.
P
PA – Pulmonary Artery (the main blood vessel where “old”
blood leaves the heart to go to the lungs)
PAC - Premature Atrial Contraction (an abnormal heartbeat)
PCP - Primary Care Provider (an insurance name for your
family doctor or general practitioner)
PH - Pulmonary Hypertension (when there is high blood
pressure in the lungs)
PI – Pulmonary Insufficiency (when there isn’t enough blood
to completely fill the pulmonary artery after the heart
beats)
PR – Pulmonary Regurgitation (when the pulmonary valve
leaks)
Premedication - Antibiotic Prophylaxis (when you take
antibiotics before a dentist or other medical procedure)
Prophylactic Antibiotics - see Antibiotic Prophylaxis (when
you take antibiotics before a dentist or other medical
procedure)
PS – Pulmonary Stenosis (when the pulmonary valve is
narrowed or partially blocked)
PV – Pulmonary Valve (the valve where “old” blood leaves the
heart to go to the lungs)
PVC – Premature Ventricular Contraction (an abnormal
heartbeat)
PVR - Pulmonary Valve Replacement or Repair.
Q
R
RA - Right Atrium (the small, upper chamber where “old”
blood enters the heart)
RV - Right Ventricle (the large, lower chamber of heart that
pumps “old” blood to the lungs for oxygen)
RVH – Right Ventricular Hypertrophy (when the right, lower
chamber of the heart grows too big)
S
SOB – Short of Breath or Shortness Of Breath
ST - Sinus Tachycardia (a rapid, but otherwise normal
heartbeat)
SVD – Small Vessel Disease (when the blood vessels that feed
the heart muscle are narrowed by many small plaques, rather
than by a few larger ones)
SVT - SupraVentricular Tachycardia (an abnormal heartbeat)
T
TATT - Tired All The Time
TEE – TransEsophogeal/TransOesophageal Echo (an
echocardiogram done by placing the transducer into the
patient’s throat)
TI – Tricuspid insufficiency (when the tricuspid vlave
leaks)
TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack (a “warning” stroke, which
goes away quickly and completely)
TOE – see TransEsophogeal/TransOesophageal Echo (the first
heart valve that fresh blood from the lungs goes through)
TR – Tricuspid Regurgitation (when the tricuspid valve
leaks)
TS – Tricuspid Stenosis (when the tricuspid valve is
narrowed or partially blocked)
TV - Tricuspid Valve (the first heart valve that “old” blood
from the body goes through)
TVR - Tricuspid Valve Replacement or repair
U
V
VC – Vena cava (the large vein that “old” blood comes into
the heart from)
Vfib - Ventricular Fibrillation (an abnormal heartbeat)
VH – Ventricular Hypertrophy (when a lower heart chamber
grows too large)
VR - Valve Replacement or Valve Repair
V Tach – Ventricular Tachycardia (an abnormal heartbeat)
W
X
X-ray – a technique where controlled radiation is fed into
the body on one side and collected on the other, either on
film for viewing or in an active collector for
interpretation by computer software. See also Computerized
Axial Tomography Scan.
Y
Z
Please inform admin of any updating needs.
September 30, 2008
A
AAA – Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (a swollen and weak spot in
the part of the aortic artery that’s down near the stomach)
ACT - AntiCoagulation Therapy (when you take “blood thinner”
medication to avoid strokes)
AFib - Atrial Fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm)
AFlut – Atrial Flutter (an abnormal heart rhythm)
AI – Aortic Insufficiency (when there’s not enough blood to
fill the aortic artery after the heart beat)
Antibiotic Prophylaxis - (when you take antibiotics before a
dentist or other medical procedure)
AO – Aortic Valve Opening (how big the aortic valve can
open)
Ao – Aorta or Aortic Artery (the main blood vessel where
fresh blood leaves the heart to go to the brain and body)
APG – Aortic Pressure Gradient (the amount of force of the
blood flowing though the aortic valve)
AR – Aortic Regurgitation (when the aortic valve leaks)
AS – Aortic Stenosis (when the aortic valve is narrow from
being partially blocked)
ATAA – Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm also known as AA (a swollen and weak spot in the aortic root or arch
artery)
AV - Aortic Valve (the last heart valve blood passes through
before going to the body)
AV Node - AtrioVentricular Node (the area that controls the
electrical bursts that cause the heart to beat)
AVO – Aortic Valve Opening (how big the aortic valve can
open)
AVR - Aortic Valve Replacement or repair
B
BAV/BAVD - Bicuspid Aortic Valve/Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Disease (when a person is born with two flaps on his aortic
valve, instead of three)
BMP-Basic Metabolic Profile
BNP-Brain natriuretic peptide
BP - Blood Pressure (how much force the blood is pressing
with against your arteries)
BPM – Beats per Minute – (how fast the heart is beating)
C
CABG - Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (when they take a
section of vein from somewhere else in the body and use it
to run blood around a part of an artery that is blocked)
CAD - Coronary Artery Disease (when the arteries that bring
oxygen to your heart muscle is narrow or blocked)
CAT or CT Scan – see Computerized Axial Tomography Scan (a
super x-ray, that gives images in slices or even in 3D)
CATH – Cardiac Catheterization (when a tube is sent up a leg
or neck artery to the heart to measure valve opening sizes
and whether arteries to the heart are blocked.
CBC-Complete Blood Count
CCF – Cleveland Clinic Foundation – a heart surgery and
research hospital in Cleveland, OH.
CHD – Coronary Heart Disease (when the arteries that bring
oxygen to your heart muscle is narrow or blocked)
CHF – Congestive Heart Failure (when your heart is not
strong enough to pump out all the blood your body needs to
exercise)
COARCT - Coarctation of the Aorta (when there is a pinched
spot in the aortic artery)
CT/CAT Scan - Computerized Axial Tomography Scan (a super x
-ray, that gives images in slices or even in 3D)
CTD - Connective Tissue Disease (when your body produces
weak tissue, especially in the heart valves or the aortic
artery)
D
E
Echo – Echocardiogram (when the echo of a sound transmitter
is used to produce a picture of your heart – also called a
heart sonogram)
ECG –Echocardiogram (when the echo of a sound transmitter is
used to produce a picture of your heart – also called a
heart sonogram)
EF - Ejection Fraction (percent of blood pumped out of the
heart during one beat)
EKG – Electrocardiogram (a test that shows how the
electrical currents in your heart run, to see any abnormal
heart rhythms)
F
G
H
HIPAA – see Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (US law that gives patients a right to a copy of all of
their medical records and keeps them private from others)
HR - Heart Rate (how fast your heart beats)
I
INR – International Normalization Ratio (measures whether
enough warfarin [Coumadin] is in your blood to avoid
strokes)
J
K
L
LA - Left Atrium (the smaller, upper chamber where “fresh”
blood first enters the heart)
LV - Left Ventricle (the large, lower chamber of the heart
that pumps “fresh” blood to the brain and body)
LVED, LVEDD – Left Ventricle End Diameter Diastolic (a
measurement of the size of the left, lower chamber of the
heart while the heart is resting between beats)
LVES, LVEDS – see Left Ventricle End Diameter (a measurement
of the size of the left, lower chamber of the heart while
the heart is in the middle of a beat)
LVH –Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (when the left, lower
chamber of the heart grows too big)
M
MAZE - MAZE Procedure/Modified MAZE procedure (a way of
cutting or damaging the heart just right to stop abnormal
heartbeats like atrial fibrillation)
MI – Mitral Insufficiency (when the mitral valve leaks)
MR – Mitral Regurgitation (when the mitral valve leaks)
MRA - Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (an MRI test done with
injected dye done to look at the heart and the arteries near
the heart)
MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (test like an x-ray that
uses magnets instead of radiation to make the pictures)
MS – Mitral Stenosis (when the mitral valve is narrow or
blocked)
MT or MTD – see Myxomatous Tissue Disorder (when your body
produces weak tissue, especially in the heart valves or the
aortic artery)
MV - Mitral Valve (the first heart valve that fresh blood
from the lungs goes through)
MVP - Mitral Valve Prolapse (when the mitral valve is
floppy, and pushes in where it’s not supposed to be)
MVR - Mitral Valve Replacement or Repair
N
NSR – see Normal Sinus Rhythm (a normal heartbeat)
O
OHS - Open Heart Surgery
On-X – a particular brand of mechanical valve.
P
PA – Pulmonary Artery (the main blood vessel where “old”
blood leaves the heart to go to the lungs)
PAC - Premature Atrial Contraction (an abnormal heartbeat)
PCP - Primary Care Provider (an insurance name for your
family doctor or general practitioner)
PH - Pulmonary Hypertension (when there is high blood
pressure in the lungs)
PI – Pulmonary Insufficiency (when there isn’t enough blood
to completely fill the pulmonary artery after the heart
beats)
PR – Pulmonary Regurgitation (when the pulmonary valve
leaks)
Premedication - Antibiotic Prophylaxis (when you take
antibiotics before a dentist or other medical procedure)
Prophylactic Antibiotics - see Antibiotic Prophylaxis (when
you take antibiotics before a dentist or other medical
procedure)
PS – Pulmonary Stenosis (when the pulmonary valve is
narrowed or partially blocked)
PV – Pulmonary Valve (the valve where “old” blood leaves the
heart to go to the lungs)
PVC – Premature Ventricular Contraction (an abnormal
heartbeat)
PVR - Pulmonary Valve Replacement or Repair.
Q
R
RA - Right Atrium (the small, upper chamber where “old”
blood enters the heart)
RV - Right Ventricle (the large, lower chamber of heart that
pumps “old” blood to the lungs for oxygen)
RVH – Right Ventricular Hypertrophy (when the right, lower
chamber of the heart grows too big)
S
SOB – Short of Breath or Shortness Of Breath
ST - Sinus Tachycardia (a rapid, but otherwise normal
heartbeat)
SVD – Small Vessel Disease (when the blood vessels that feed
the heart muscle are narrowed by many small plaques, rather
than by a few larger ones)
SVT - SupraVentricular Tachycardia (an abnormal heartbeat)
T
TATT - Tired All The Time
TEE – TransEsophogeal/TransOesophageal Echo (an
echocardiogram done by placing the transducer into the
patient’s throat)
TI – Tricuspid insufficiency (when the tricuspid vlave
leaks)
TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack (a “warning” stroke, which
goes away quickly and completely)
TOE – see TransEsophogeal/TransOesophageal Echo (the first
heart valve that fresh blood from the lungs goes through)
TR – Tricuspid Regurgitation (when the tricuspid valve
leaks)
TS – Tricuspid Stenosis (when the tricuspid valve is
narrowed or partially blocked)
TV - Tricuspid Valve (the first heart valve that “old” blood
from the body goes through)
TVR - Tricuspid Valve Replacement or repair
U
V
VC – Vena cava (the large vein that “old” blood comes into
the heart from)
Vfib - Ventricular Fibrillation (an abnormal heartbeat)
VH – Ventricular Hypertrophy (when a lower heart chamber
grows too large)
VR - Valve Replacement or Valve Repair
V Tach – Ventricular Tachycardia (an abnormal heartbeat)
W
X
X-ray – a technique where controlled radiation is fed into
the body on one side and collected on the other, either on
film for viewing or in an active collector for
interpretation by computer software. See also Computerized
Axial Tomography Scan.
Y
Z
Please inform admin of any updating needs.
