As the Acronym list and Glossary were introduced at the same time, some folks might think they are one item. The Glossary is a more detailed item with a different approach and purpose, and has now been moved to a separate thread. You need to click on the link to download it, as it's too long to view in the Forums. Here are a couple of sample pages:
B
Bacterial Endocarditis or Endocarditis - an infection inside the heart, often unrecognized until after valve or other damage has occurred. While a valve may sometimes be harmed immediately, it often takes years to show damage, generally by calcifications forming on and around it. Endocarditis is not always bacterial, but is frequently referred to in general as bacterial endocarditis. See also Calcification.
Balloon Angioplasty ? see Angioplasty.
BAV/BAVD - see Bicuspid Aortic Valve/Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease.
Bentall Procedure - an open heart surgery to replace the aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aorta all at one time. This may be done by attaching chosen parts together during the operation, or with an all-inclusive tissue valve and aorta replacement or prefabricated, single mechanical valve and aorta replacement piece. The coronary arteries are reattached at the new structure. The replacement aorta portion may be animal or human tissue, or may be sleeves of Dacron velour that the patient's own tissue will grow on and through. See also Aorta, Ascending Aorta, Aortic Root, Endothelium.
Bicuspid Aortic Valve/Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease ? When a person is born with two cusps instead of three on their aortic valve, or two of the three are fused into one. The cusps are the leaflets that close the valve opening to keep blood flowing in only one direction. This may lead to early breakdown or calcification of the valve, and is sometimes associated with other connective tissue disorders. See also Cusps, Aortic Valve, Connective Tissue Disease.
Bigeminy ? when a premature ventricular contraction follows every regular ventricular contraction, making a kind of double beat. See also Ventricle.
Blood Clot ? a mass of blood that has congealed to plug a leak in the body. If it occurs improperly within an artery and blocks blood flow through it, it can cause a stroke or heart attack, particularly if formed in conjunction with loose arterial plaque. In a vein, it can cause deep vein thrombosis. See also troke, Heart Attack, Plaque, Anticoagulation Therapy.
Bleed ? a hemorrhage, especially one that is slow to stop. See also Hemorrhage, AntiCoagulation Therapy.
Blood culture ? when bacteria in a blood sample is encouraged to grow, to determine if bacteria are present, and if so, what kind of bacterium may be causing an undetermined infection. Used to determine forms of endocarditis. See also Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis, Endocarditis.
Blood Flow Through the Heart ? The right side sends blood to the lungs for oxygen, then the left side sends the oxygenated blood to the body. Path: Stale, deoxygenated blood comes from the vena cava into the right atrium at the top of the heart. At the contraction of the atria (the lub of the heartbeat?s lub-dub), the blood is pushed through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle below. In the contraction of the ventricles (the dub of the lub-dub), the blood is pushed through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery to the lungs. From the lungs, the reoxygenated blood returns through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium in the upper part of the heart. When the atria contract (lub), the blood is pushed through the mitral valve into the left ventricle below. When the ventricles contract (dub), the blood is pushed through the aortic valve into the aorta to the brain, heart, and body. See also Vena Cava, Right Atrium, Tricuspid Valve, Right Ventricle, Pulmonary Valve, Pulmonary Artery, Pulmonary Veins, Left Atrium, Mitral Valve, Left Ventricle, Aortic Valve, Aorta, Lub-dub.
Blood pressure ? the measurement of the pressure inside the blood vessels. Displayed as the systolic pressure (high pressure during the beat of the heart) over the diastolic pressure (resting pressure between heartbeats). See also Diastolic Pressure, Systolic Pressure.
Blue Baby Syndrome ? when a baby is born with a defect that causes the blood not to have sufficient oxygen. The deoxygenated blood in the body causes a bluish appearance to the skin. This can be from malformed or mixed up blood vessels, or from a lack of the proper type of red blood cells. See also Tetralogy of Fallot, Ventricular Septal Defect.
BP - see Blood Pressure.
BPM ? Beats per Minute ? the measurement used for heart rate. See also Heart Rate.
Bradycardia ? an abnormally slow heartbeat, less than 60 BPM at rest. Normal for some athletes, but in less athletic people, can cause fainting or other symptoms at below 50 BPM.
Bridge Therapy ? See Bridging.
Bridging ? the use of some form of heparin (such as Lovenox) or other reversible anticoagulant to continue anticoagulation therapy through an intrusive medical or dental procedure or surgery. The bridging injections are started some days before the procedure, when the patient stops taking warfarin (Coumadin). They continue until just before the procedure, because heparin?s anti-clotting effect can be reversed during the surgery to avoid excessive bleeding, then restarted to keep the likelihood of strokes down. After the procedure, the patient starts taking warfarin again. The injections stop when the patient?s INR reaches the desired level. See also AntiCoagulation Therapy, Heparin, Low Molecular Weight Heparin, Warfarin, International Normalization Ratio, Lovenox.
Bundle Branch Block ? an electrical conduction problem leading from the atrio-ventricular node to one of the ventricles that causes it to contract slightly later than the other one. See Ventricle, AtrioVentricular Node.
C
CABG - see Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.
CAD - see Coronary Artery Disease.
Still soliciting thoughts for more items and possible corrections or improvements.
Best wishes,
B
Bacterial Endocarditis or Endocarditis - an infection inside the heart, often unrecognized until after valve or other damage has occurred. While a valve may sometimes be harmed immediately, it often takes years to show damage, generally by calcifications forming on and around it. Endocarditis is not always bacterial, but is frequently referred to in general as bacterial endocarditis. See also Calcification.
Balloon Angioplasty ? see Angioplasty.
BAV/BAVD - see Bicuspid Aortic Valve/Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease.
Bentall Procedure - an open heart surgery to replace the aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aorta all at one time. This may be done by attaching chosen parts together during the operation, or with an all-inclusive tissue valve and aorta replacement or prefabricated, single mechanical valve and aorta replacement piece. The coronary arteries are reattached at the new structure. The replacement aorta portion may be animal or human tissue, or may be sleeves of Dacron velour that the patient's own tissue will grow on and through. See also Aorta, Ascending Aorta, Aortic Root, Endothelium.
Bicuspid Aortic Valve/Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease ? When a person is born with two cusps instead of three on their aortic valve, or two of the three are fused into one. The cusps are the leaflets that close the valve opening to keep blood flowing in only one direction. This may lead to early breakdown or calcification of the valve, and is sometimes associated with other connective tissue disorders. See also Cusps, Aortic Valve, Connective Tissue Disease.
Bigeminy ? when a premature ventricular contraction follows every regular ventricular contraction, making a kind of double beat. See also Ventricle.
Blood Clot ? a mass of blood that has congealed to plug a leak in the body. If it occurs improperly within an artery and blocks blood flow through it, it can cause a stroke or heart attack, particularly if formed in conjunction with loose arterial plaque. In a vein, it can cause deep vein thrombosis. See also troke, Heart Attack, Plaque, Anticoagulation Therapy.
Bleed ? a hemorrhage, especially one that is slow to stop. See also Hemorrhage, AntiCoagulation Therapy.
Blood culture ? when bacteria in a blood sample is encouraged to grow, to determine if bacteria are present, and if so, what kind of bacterium may be causing an undetermined infection. Used to determine forms of endocarditis. See also Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis, Endocarditis.
Blood Flow Through the Heart ? The right side sends blood to the lungs for oxygen, then the left side sends the oxygenated blood to the body. Path: Stale, deoxygenated blood comes from the vena cava into the right atrium at the top of the heart. At the contraction of the atria (the lub of the heartbeat?s lub-dub), the blood is pushed through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle below. In the contraction of the ventricles (the dub of the lub-dub), the blood is pushed through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery to the lungs. From the lungs, the reoxygenated blood returns through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium in the upper part of the heart. When the atria contract (lub), the blood is pushed through the mitral valve into the left ventricle below. When the ventricles contract (dub), the blood is pushed through the aortic valve into the aorta to the brain, heart, and body. See also Vena Cava, Right Atrium, Tricuspid Valve, Right Ventricle, Pulmonary Valve, Pulmonary Artery, Pulmonary Veins, Left Atrium, Mitral Valve, Left Ventricle, Aortic Valve, Aorta, Lub-dub.
Blood pressure ? the measurement of the pressure inside the blood vessels. Displayed as the systolic pressure (high pressure during the beat of the heart) over the diastolic pressure (resting pressure between heartbeats). See also Diastolic Pressure, Systolic Pressure.
Blue Baby Syndrome ? when a baby is born with a defect that causes the blood not to have sufficient oxygen. The deoxygenated blood in the body causes a bluish appearance to the skin. This can be from malformed or mixed up blood vessels, or from a lack of the proper type of red blood cells. See also Tetralogy of Fallot, Ventricular Septal Defect.
BP - see Blood Pressure.
BPM ? Beats per Minute ? the measurement used for heart rate. See also Heart Rate.
Bradycardia ? an abnormally slow heartbeat, less than 60 BPM at rest. Normal for some athletes, but in less athletic people, can cause fainting or other symptoms at below 50 BPM.
Bridge Therapy ? See Bridging.
Bridging ? the use of some form of heparin (such as Lovenox) or other reversible anticoagulant to continue anticoagulation therapy through an intrusive medical or dental procedure or surgery. The bridging injections are started some days before the procedure, when the patient stops taking warfarin (Coumadin). They continue until just before the procedure, because heparin?s anti-clotting effect can be reversed during the surgery to avoid excessive bleeding, then restarted to keep the likelihood of strokes down. After the procedure, the patient starts taking warfarin again. The injections stop when the patient?s INR reaches the desired level. See also AntiCoagulation Therapy, Heparin, Low Molecular Weight Heparin, Warfarin, International Normalization Ratio, Lovenox.
Bundle Branch Block ? an electrical conduction problem leading from the atrio-ventricular node to one of the ventricles that causes it to contract slightly later than the other one. See Ventricle, AtrioVentricular Node.
C
CABG - see Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.
CAD - see Coronary Artery Disease.
Still soliciting thoughts for more items and possible corrections or improvements.
Best wishes,
