EvidenceLib · Topic area
Cardiovascular Medicine
Heart, blood vessel and circulation research. 105 evidence-grounded articles.
A B C D E F G H I K M N O P R S T V
Acute Coronary Syndrome
An episode of myocardial ischemia that generally lasts longer than a transient anginal episode that ultimately may lead to myocardial infarction.
Aneurysm
Pathological outpouching or sac-like dilatation in the wall of any blood vessel (arteries or veins) or the heart (heart aneurysm).
Angina Pectoris
The symptom of paroxysmal pain consequent to myocardial ischemia usually of distinctive character, location and radiation.
Angioedema
Swelling involving the deep dermis, subcutaneous, or submucosal tissues, representing localized edema.
Angiogenesis
Formation of new blood vessels, which is controlled by chemical signals in the body, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
Angiomatosis
A condition with multiple tumor-like lesions caused either by congenital or developmental malformations of blood vessels, or reactive vascular proliferations, such as in bacillary angiomatosis.
Aortic Dissection
A tear in the inner layer of the aorta leading to interstitial hemorrhage, and splitting (dissecting) of the aortic tunica media layer.
Aortic Rupture
The tearing or bursting of the wall along any portion of the aorta, such as thoracic or abdominal.
Aortic Valve Stenosis
A pathological constriction that can occur above (supravalvular stenosis), below (subvalvular stenosis), or at the aortic valve.
Arterial Pressure
The blood pressure in the arteries.
Arteriosclerosis
Thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries of all sizes.
Atherosclerosis
A thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries that occurs with formation of atherosclerotic plaques within the arterial intima.
Atrial Fibrillation
Abnormal cardiac rhythm that is characterized by rapid, uncoordinated firing of electrical impulses in the upper chambers of the heart (heart atria).
Atrial Flutter
Rapid, irregular atrial contractions caused by a block of electrical impulse conduction in the right atrium and a reentrant wave front traveling up the inter-atrial septum and down the right atrial free wall or vice versa.
Atrial Pressure
The pressure within the cardiac atrium.
Atrioventricular Block
Impaired impulse conduction from heart atria to heart ventricles.
Baroreflex
A response by the baroreceptors to increased blood pressure.
Blood Flow Velocity
A value equal to the total volume flow divided by the cross-sectional area of the vascular bed.
Blood Viscosity
The internal resistance of the blood to shear forces.
Blood Volume
Volume of circulating blood.
Bradycardia
Cardiac arrhythmias that are characterized by excessively slow heart rate, usually below 50 beats per minute in human adults.
Brain Ischemia
Localized reduction of blood flow to brain tissue due to arterial obstruction or systemic hypoperfusion.
Budd-Chiari Syndrome
A condition in which the hepatic venous outflow is obstructed anywhere from the small hepatic veins to the junction of the inferior vena cava and the right atrium.
Bundle-Branch Block
A form of heart block in which the electrical stimulation of heart ventricles is interrupted at either one of the branches of bundle OF HIS thus preventing the simultaneous depolarization of the two ventricles.
Capillary Permeability
The property of blood capillary endothelium that allows for the selective exchange of substances between the blood and surrounding tissues and through membranous barriers such as the blood-air barrier; blood-aqueous barrier; blood
Cardiac Output
The volume of blood passing through the heart per unit of time.
Cardiac Tamponade
Compression of the heart by accumulated fluid (pericardial effusion) or blood (hemopericardium) in the pericardium surrounding the heart.
Cardiomegaly
Enlargement of the heart, usually indicated by a cardiothoracic ratio above 0.50.
Cardiomyopathies
A group of diseases in which the dominant feature is the involvement of the cardiac muscle itself.
Cardiotoxicity
Damage to the heart or its function secondary to exposure to toxic substances such as drugs used in chemotherapy; immunotherapy; or radiation.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Pathological conditions involving the cardiovascular system including the heart; the blood vessels; or the pericardium.
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
A measurement of the thickness of the carotid artery walls.
Carotid Stenosis
Narrowing or stricture of any part of the carotid arteries, most often due to atherosclerotic plaque formation.
Central Venous Pressure
The blood pressure in the central large veins of the body.
Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy
A heterogeneous group of sporadic or familial disorders characterized by amyloid deposits in the walls of small and medium sized blood vessels of cerebral cortex and meninges.
Cerebral Blood Volume
Volume of circulating blood in a region of the brain.
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Bleeding into one or both cerebral hemispheres including the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex.
Cerebral Infarction
The formation of an area of necrosis in the cerebrum caused by an insufficiency of arterial or venous blood flow.
Cerebrovascular Disorders
A spectrum of pathological conditions of impaired blood flow in the brain.
Churg-Strauss Syndrome
Widespread necrotizing angiitis with granulomas.
Collateral Circulation
Maintenance of blood flow to an organ despite obstruction of a principal vessel.
Coronary Artery Disease
Pathological processes of coronary arteries that may derive from a congenital abnormality, atherosclerotic, or non-atherosclerotic cause.
Coronary Disease
An imbalance between myocardial functional requirements and the capacity of the coronary vessels to supply sufficient blood flow.
Coronary Occlusion
Complete blockage of blood flow through one of the coronary arteries, usually from coronary atherosclerosis.
Coronary Thrombosis
Coagulation of blood in any of the coronary vessels.
Cryoglobulinemia
A condition characterized by the presence of abnormal quantities of cryoglobulins in the blood.
Diabetic Foot
Common foot problems in persons with diabetes mellitus, caused by any combination of factors such as diabetic neuropathies; peripheral vascular diseases; and infection.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Disease of the retina as a complication of diabetes mellitus.
Embolic Stroke
An ischemic stroke due to a blood clot, emboli or other types of blockage which forms somewhere other than the brain and subsequently travels near and restricts blood flow to the brain.
Embolism
Blocking of a blood vessel by an embolus which can be a blood clot or other undissolved material in the blood stream.
Endocarditis
Inflammation of the inner lining of the heart (endocardium), the continuous membrane lining the four chambers and heart valves.
Endoleak
Postoperative hemorrhage from an endovascular aortic aneurysm repaired with endoluminal placement of stent grafts (endovascular aneurysm repair).
Essential Hypertension
Hypertension that occurs without known cause, or preexisting renal disease.
Fibromuscular Dysplasia
An idiopathic, segmental, nonatheromatous disease of the musculature of arterial walls, leading to stenosis of small and medium-sized arteries.
Giant Cell Arteritis
A systemic autoimmune disorder that typically affects medium and large arteries, usually leading to occlusive granulomatous vasculitis with transmural infiltrate containing multinucleated giant cells.
Global Longitudinal Strain
Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a measure of ventricular function derived from 2-dimensional echocardiographic images by quantifying the relative length change in myocardial length between end-diastole and end-systole.
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
A multisystemic disease of a complex genetic background.
Heart Block
Impaired conduction of cardiac impulse that can occur anywhere along the conduction pathway, such as between the sinoatrial node and the right atrium (SA block) or between atria and ventricles (AV block).
Heart Failure
A heterogeneous condition in which the heart is unable to pump out sufficient blood to meet the metabolic need of the body.
Heart Rate
The number of times the heart ventricles contract per unit of time, usually per minute.
Hemodynamics
The movement and the forces involved in the movement of the blood through the cardiovascular system.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
Stroke due to rupture of a weakened blood vessel in the brain (e.g., cerebral hemispheres; cerebellum; subarachnoid space).
Hemorrhoids
Swollen veins in the lower part of the rectum or ANUS.
Hyperemia
The presence of an increased amount of blood in a body part or an organ leading to congestion or engorgement of blood vessels.
Hypertension
Persistently high systemic arterial blood pressure.
Intracranial Aneurysm
Abnormal outpouching in the wall of intracranial blood vessels.
Ischemic Stroke
Stroke due to brain ischemia resulting in interruption or reduction of blood flow to a part of the brain.
Kallikrein-Kinin System
A system of metabolic interactions by products produced in the distal nephron of the kidney.
Microscopic Polyangiitis
A primary systemic vasculitis of small- and some medium-sized vessels.
Microvascular Density
Measured density of microvessels in a given field of area.
Mitral Valve Prolapse
Abnormal protrusion or billowing of one or both of the leaflets of mitral valve into the left atrium during systole.
Moyamoya Disease
A noninflammatory, progressive occlusion of the intracranial carotid arteries and the formation of netlike collateral arteries arising from the circle OF willis.
Myocardial Infarction
Necrosis of the myocardium caused by an obstruction of the blood supply to the heart (coronary circulation).
Myocardial Ischemia
A disorder of cardiac function caused by insufficient blood flow to the muscle tissue of the heart.
Myocarditis
Inflammatory processes of the muscular walls of the heart (myocardium) which result in injury to the cardiac muscle cells (myocytes, cardiac).
Neurovascular Coupling
Mechanism by which changes in neural activity are tightly associated with regional cortical hemodynamics and metabolism changes.
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Occurrence of heart arrest in an individual when there is no immediate access to medical personnel or equipment.
Pericardial Effusion
Fluid accumulation within the pericardium.
Pericarditis
Inflammation of the pericardium from various origins, such as infection, neoplasm, autoimmune process, injuries, or drug-induced.
Peripheral Arterial Disease
Lack of perfusion in the extremities resulting from atherosclerosis.
Pulsatile Flow
Rhythmic, intermittent propagation of a fluid through a blood vessel or piping system, in contrast to constant, smooth propagation, which produces laminar flow.
Renal Plasma Flow
The amount of plasma that perfuses the kidneys per unit time, approximately 10% greater than effective renal plasma flow (renal plasma flow, effective).
Renin-Angiotensin System
A blood pressure regulating system of interacting components that include renin; angiotensinogen; angiotensin converting enzyme; angiotensin I; angiotensin II; and angiotensinase.
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia
A naturally occurring variation in heart rate that occurs during a breathing cycle, where the time between heartbeats is shortened during inspiration and prolonged during expiration.
Retinal Artery Occlusion
Sudden ischemia in the retina due to blocked blood flow through the central retinal artery or its branches leading to sudden complete or partial loss of vision, respectively, in the eye.
Retinal Vein Occlusion
Blockage of the retinal vein.
Return of Spontaneous Circulation
Recovery of blood circulation reestablishing blood pressure and pulse after cardiac arrest.
Sick Sinus Syndrome
A condition caused by dysfunctions related to the sinoatrial node including impulse generation (cardiac sinus arrest) and impulse conduction (sinoatrial exit block).
ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction
A clinical syndrome defined by myocardial ischemia symptoms; persistent elevation in the ST segments of the electrocardiogram; and release of biomarkers of myocardial necrosis (e.g., elevated troponin levels).
Stroke
A group of pathological conditions characterized by sudden, non-convulsive loss of neurological function due to brain ischemia or intracranial hemorrhages.
Stroke Volume
The amount of blood pumped out of the heart per beat, not to be confused with cardiac output (volume/time).
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Bleeding into the intracranial or spinal subarachnoid space, most resulting from intracranial aneurysm rupture.
Tachycardia
Abnormally rapid heartbeat, usually with a heart rate above 100 beats per minute for adults.
Takayasu Arteritis
A chronic inflammatory process that affects the aorta and its primary branches, such as the brachiocephalic artery (brachiocephalic trunk) and carotid arteries.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
A transient left ventricular apical dysfunction or ballooning accompanied by electrocardiographic (ECG) T wave inversions.
Thromboembolism
Obstruction of a blood vessel (embolism) by a blood clot (thrombus) in the blood stream.
Torsades de Pointes
A malignant form of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that is characterized by heart rate between 200 and 250 beats per minute, and QRS complexes with changing amplitude and twisting of the points.
Vascular Diseases
Pathological processes involving any of the blood vessels in the cardiac or peripheral circulation.
Vascular Remodeling
The active alterations of vascular wall structures, often leading to elevated vascular resistance.
Vascular Resistance
The force that opposes the flow of blood through a vascular bed.
Venous Pressure
The blood pressure in the veins.
Venous Thromboembolism
Obstruction of a vein or veins (embolism) by a blood clot (thrombus) in the blood stream.
Ventricular Fibrillation
A potentially lethal cardiac arrhythmia that is characterized by uncoordinated extremely rapid firing of electrical impulses (400-600/min) in heart ventricles.
Ventricular Pressure
The pressure within a cardiac ventricle.
Ventricular Remodeling
The geometric and structural changes that the heart ventricles undergo, usually following myocardial infarction.