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Cardiovascular
Assessment Terms
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| angle
of Louis |
The
angle formed at the junction of the manubrium and the body of the sternum.
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| Atrioventricular
valve |
a
valve between an atrium and ventricle of the heart, such as, the tricuspid
valve (T) and the mitral valve (M)
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| Semilunar
valve |
Either
of two valves of which one is situated at the opening between the heart
and the aorta (A) and the other at the opening between the heart and the
pulmonary artery (P), which prevent regurgitation of blood into the ventricles,
and each of which is made up of three crescent-shaped cusps that are forced
apart by pressure in the ventricles exerted during systole and are pushed
together by pressure in the arteries exerted during diastole |
| Systole |
The
contraction of the heart by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation
kept up |
| Diastole |
The
passive rhythmical expansion or dilation of the cavities of the heart during
which they fill with blood |
| intercostal
spaces (ICS) |
The space
situated or extending between the ribs
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| precordium |
The
part of the ventral surface of the body overlying the heart and stomach
and comprising the epigastrium and the lower median part of the thorax |
| pericardium |
The conical
sac of serous membrane that encloses the heart and the roots of the great
blood vessels of vertebrates and consists of an outer fibrous coat that
loosely invests the heart and is prolonged on the outer surface of the
great vessels except the inferior vena cava and a double inner serous
coat of which one layer is closely adherent to the heart while the other
lines the inner surface of the outer coat with the intervening space being
filled with pericardial fluid
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| venous
insufficiency |
A
condition in which the veins do not efficiently return blood from the lower
limbs back to the heart. |
| arterial
insufficiency |
An
inadequate blood flow through arteries. |
| JVD |
Jugular vein
distention
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| bruit |
An
unexpected audible swishing sound or murmur heard over an artery or vascular
channel. Indicates increased turbulence often caused by a partial obstruction. |
| thrill |
an
abnormal fine tremor or vibration in the respiratory or circulatory systems
felt on palpation |
| edema |
an
abnormal excess accumulation of serous fluid in connective tissue or in
a serous cavity |
| Homan's
sign |
Homan's
sign is an indicator of deep venous thrombosis. The sign is present where
pain in the calf is produced by passive dorsiflexion of the foot.
The test
has fallen into disfavour because of the risk of precipitating a pulmonary
embolism.
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| stenosis |
A
narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice |
| Grade
I-VI |
Refers to
the severity of a heart murmur (blowing, whooshing, or rasping sound),
which is the result of vibrations caused by turbulent blood flow patterns.
Murmurs are
classified ("graded") depending on their ability to be heard
by the examiner. The grading is on a scale with grade I being barely detectable.
An example of a murmur description is a "grade II/VI murmur."
(This means the murmur is grade 2 on a scale of 1 to 6).
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| aneurysm |
The abnormal
enlargement or bulging of an artery caused by damage to or weakness in
the blood vessel wall.
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