Allograft
Can be referred to as a homograft. Transplanted tissue placed into a recipient of the same species.
 
 
Annulus
Ring like structure - the base of the heart valve that supports the leaflets is referred to as the annulus. The tough tissue comprising the outer ring of a heart valve.
 
 
Anticoagulants (Blood Thinners)
Medications that prevent blood clotting.
 
 
Aorta
The body's largest blood vessel carries oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to the body.
 
 
Aortic Stenosis (AS)
The narrowing or obstruction of the heart's aortic valve, which prevents it from opening properly and blocks the free flow of blood through the aortic valve from the left ventricle to the aorta.
 
 
Aortic Valve
The heart valve located between the aorta and the left ventricle. The normal aortic valve usually has three leaflets that open and close together.
 
 
Arrhythmia (Dysrhythmia)
Irregular heart rhythm. Arrhythmias may cause a slow, rapid, or irregular pulse.
 
 
Atria
The two upper chambers of the heart. Referred to as the left and right atria.
 
 
Bicuspid Valve
A valve that has two leaflets. The mitral valve is normally two leaflets.
 
 
Bioprosthesis
Also called tissue valve, a bioprosthesis is a replacement valve that contains animal tissue. The tissue could be from a pig, cow, horse, or human.
 
 
Blood Clot (Thombus)
A collection of blood components that form a clump. Formed as normal repair process in the body. But can be catastrophic if formed when they are not needed.
 
 
Calcification
A condition in which calcium abnormally builds up in tissue.
 
 
Cardiac Catheterization
Diagnostic procedure where a catheter is passed into the heart through a vein or artery for imaging.
 
 
Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Also called heart-lung bypass, cardiopulmonary bypass is used during cardiac surgery procedures to bypass the heart and lungs and do the work of the heart and lungs and support the patient. It drains oxygen-poor blood from a patient, adds oxygen to the blood, and then returns the oxygen-enriched blood back into the patient's aorta.
 
 
Chordae Tendinae
String like attachments on the leaflets of the tricuspid and mitral valves. They connect the valve leaflets to the wall of the heart.
 
 
Computed Tomography (CT)
Diagnostic imaging that uses a combination of xrays and computer technology to produce three-dimensional images of the body.
 
 
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (Bypass Surgery)
Surgery that uses one's own veins or arteries to reroute or bypass blood around clogged arteries.
 
 
Echocardiography
A test that uses sound waves to create a detailed moving picture of the heart.
 
 
Electrocardiography (ECG or EKG)
A test that measures the electrical activity of the heart.
 
 
Electrophysiology
The study of the electrical activity of the heart.
 
 
Embolism
A blood clot that moves through the bloodstream until it lodges in a narrowed vessel and blocks the flow of blood.
 
 
Endocarditis
An inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and heart valves (endocardium). Can be caused by a bacterial or viral infection.
 
 
Ejection Fraction
A measurement of the blood pumped out of the ventricles. Refers to the percent of blood pumped out of the heart ventricles in a single heart beat.
 
 
Heart Murmur
An abnormal sound in the heart such as blowing, whooshing, or rasping sounds detected by listening to the heart beating with a stethoscope. A murmur can be harmless or it may signal a problem with a heart valve or congenital heart disease.
 
 
Holter Monitor
Portable ECG recorder worn for 24 hours or longer to monitor the electrical activity of the heart.
 
 
Heart Rate
The number of heartbeats per minute.
 
 
Heart Valve
There are four valves in the heart, the tricuspid valve, pulmonary valve, mitral valve, and aortic valve. They open and close with each heartbeat and permit the blood to flow in only one direction.
 
 
Heart Valve Repair Surgery
A procedure used to fix a person's malfunctioning heart valve as opposed to replacing it with either a mechanical or tissue valve.
 
 
Heart Valve Replacement Surgery
Performed to remove a person's native valve that is damaged from disease or long-term wear. The person's own valve is removed and replaced with a prosthetic valve. There are two types of prosthetic valves: tissue (biological) valves or mechanical (metal or hard carbon) valves.
 
 
Hemodynamics
Measure of blood flowing through the heart valve.
 
 
Hemolysis
Destruction of red blood cells.
 
 
Inferior vena cava
The major vein carrying blood from the lower body to the right side of the heart.
 
 
INR
International Normalized Ratio. A standardized way of measuring the blood's ability to clot.
 
 
Leaflets
The tissue flaps in a heart valve that open and close, allowing blood to move between the heart's four chambers.
 
 
Left Atrium
The left upper chamber of the heart receiving oxygenated blood from the lungs.
 
 
Left Ventricle
The left lower chamber of the heart receiving oxygenated blood from the left atrium and then pumping it to the rest of the body.
 
 
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A noninvasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct pictures of the body.
 
 
Mechanical Heart Valve
Mechanical valves are made of hard, durable materials (e.g., metal, hard carbon) that have been proven to be safe for use in the human body.
 
 
Mitral Valve
The mitral valve controls blood flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle.
 
 
Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)
A heart condition in which the mitral valve leaflets bulge backwards into the left atrium.
 
 
Mitral Valve Stenosis
A heart condition in which the mitral valve fails to open as wide as it should. This can cause a backup of blood and fluid in the lungs.
 
 
Open Heart Surgery
Any surgery where the chest is opened and surgery is performed on the heart. The term "open" refers to the chest.
 
 
Orifice
An opening or hole.
 
 
Position Emission Tomography (PET)
A computerized radiographic technique used to examine metabolic activity in the body.
 
 
Pressure Gradient
Measurement of the difference in pressure between two sides of a heart valve.
 
 
Prosthetic Valve
A substitute for a patient's own valve.
 
 
Prothrombin Time
The time it takes for blood to clot.
 
 
Pulmonary Arteries
Arteries that carry de-oxygenated blood and waste products to the lungs.
 
 
Pulmonary Valve
The heart valve that controls blood flow out of the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery and into the lungs.
 
 
Regurgitation
Backward flow of blood into the heart or between chambers of the heart.
 
 
Right Atrium
The right upper chamber of the heart that receives de-oxygenated blood from the body.
 
 
Right Ventricle
The right lower chamber of the heart that receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it into the lungs through the pulmonary artery.
 
 
Shear Stress
Shear stress is pressure applied to moving blood cells as they encounter the non-moving edges of valve components. Sheer stress can induce platelet activation and hemolysis, the destruction of red blood cells.
 
 
Stasis
Areas of low blood flow or stagnation.
 
 
Stenosis
An abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel or native heart valve.
 
 
Superior vena cava
A major vein that carries blood from the upper body to the right side of the heart.
 
 
Thromboembolism
Vascular occlusion caused by a blood clot that has floated through the bloodstream.
 
 
Thromboembolus
Blood clot floating in the bloodstream.
 
 
Thrombogenicity
Tendency to produce a thrombus (blood clot).
 
 
Thrombosis
Formation or presence of a blood clot inside a blood vessel or chamber of the heart.
 
 
Thrombus
A blood clot that forms or is already present in a blood vessel or chamber of the heart.
 
 
Tissue Valve
Also called bioprosthetic valve. Made from animal such as pigs, cows, horses, or humans.
 
 
Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE)
Diagnostic ultrasound test using a special probe placed in the esophagus to take images of the heart, valves, and surrounding structures.
 
 
Tricuspid Valve
The tricuspid valve controls blood flow from the right atrium into the right ventricle.
 
 
Ventricles
The lower chambers of the heart.