10 Cardiovascular and atic Systems Cardiology The medical specialty of cardiology encompasses the treatment of heart disease. Generally, three types of cardiology specialists provide medical care: the cardiologist, the pediatric cardiologist, and the cardiothoracic surgeon. While the cardiologist specializes in treating adults, the pediatric cardiologist specializes in treating infants, children, and teenagers. The cardiologist and pediatric cardiologists provide nonsurgical treatments to detect, prevent, and treat heart and vascular diseases, while the cardiothoracic surgeon performs surgeries to treat cardiovascular disorders. Immunology Immunology is the medical specialty that encompasses the study of the various elements of the immune system and their functions. The immune system is the body s defense against cancer and foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. The ability to fi ght off disease and protect the body depends on an adequate functioning immune response. An immunologist is the medical specialist who studies and treats the body s defense mechanism against invasion of foreign substances that cause diseases. Anatomy and Physiology Overview The cardiovascular (CV) system is composed of the heart, which is essentially a muscular pump, and an extensive network of blood vessels. The main purpose of the CV system, also called the circulatory system, is to de-liver oxygen, nutrients, and other essential substances to body cells and remove waste products of cellular metabolism. This process is carried out by a complex network of blood vessels that includes arteries, capillaries, and veins all of which are connected to the heart. A healthy CV system is vital to a person s survival. A CV system that does not provide adequate circulation deprives tissues of oxygen and nutrients and fails to remove waste, resulting in irreversible changes to cells that could be life-threatening. The lymphatic system is closely linked to the CV system. It depends on the pumping action of the heart to circulate its substances throughout the body. The lymphatic system consists of a network of vessels and nodes, and a few specialized organs including the tonsils, thymus, and spleen. (See Figure 5 1) 1
2 CARDIOVASCULAR AND LYMPHATIC SYSTEMS Subclavian vein atic vessel Valve node Heart Artery flow Blood flow capillaries Blood capillaries Figure 5-1 Interrelationship of the cardiovascular system with the lymphatic system. Blood flows from the heart to blood capillaries and back to the heart. capillaries collect tissue fluid, which is returned to the blood. The arrows indicate direction of flow of the blood and lymph.
Medical Specialities 3 WORD ELEMENTS This section introduces combining forms (CFs), suffixes, and prefixes related to the cardiovascular system, along with each element s meaning, an example, and additional analysis of key elements in the example. Combining Forms angi/o aneurysm/o vessel (usually blood or lymph) widening, widened blood vessel angi/o/graphy (ăn-jē-ŏg-ră-fē): process of recording blood vessels -graphy: process of recording Angiography is an x-ray visualization of internal anatomy of the heart and blood vessels after the intravascular introduction of a contrast medium. It is used as a diagnostic aid to visualize blood vessel and heart abnormalities. aneurysm/o/rrhaphy (ăn-ū-rĭz-mōr-ă-fē): suture of a blood vessel -rrhaphy: suture Aneurysmorrhaphy closes the area of dilation and weakness in the wall of an artery. This condition may result from a congenital defect or a damaged vessel wall due to arteriosclerosis. aort/o aorta aort/o/stenosis (ā-or-tō-stĕn-ō-sĭs): narrowing of the aorta -stenosis: narrowing, stricture arteri/o artery arteri/o/scler/osis (ăr-tē-rē-ō-sklĕ-rō-sĭs): abnormal hardening of arterial walls scler: hardening; sclera (white of eye) -osis: abnormal condition; increase (used primarily with blood cells) Arteriosclerosis results in a decreased blood supply, especially to the cerebrum and lower extremities. arteriol/o arteriole arteriol/itis (ăr-tēr-ē-ō-lī-tĭs): inflammation of an arteriole -itis: inflammation ather/o fatty plaque ather/oma (ăth-ĕr-ō-mă): fatty degeneration or thickening of the larger arterial walls, as in atherosclerosis -oma: tumor atri/o atrium atri/o/ventricul/ar (ā-trē-ō-vĕn-trĭk-ū-lăr): pertaining to the atrium and the ventricle ventricul: ventricle (of heart or brain) (continued)
4 CARDIOVASCULAR AND LYMPHATIC SYSTEMS cardi/o heart cardi/o/megaly (kăr-dē-ō-mĕg-ă-lē): enlargement of the heart; also called megalocardia -megaly: enlargement coron/o coron/ary (KOR-ō-nă-rē): pertaining to the heart -ary: pertaining to phleb/o vein phleb/itis (flĕb-ī-tĭs): inflammation of a vein -itis: inflammation ven/o ven/ous (VĒ-nŭs): pertaining to the veins or blood passing through them -ous: pertaining to thromb/o blood clot thromb/o/lysis (thrŏm-bŏl-ĭ-sĭs): breaking up of a thrombus -lysis: separation; destruction; loosening varic/o dilated vein varic/ose (VĂR-ĭ-kōs): pertaining to a dilated vein -ose: pertaining to; sugar vas/o vessel; vas deferens; duct vas/o/spasm (VĂS-ō-spăzm): spasm of a blood vessel -spasm: involuntary contraction, twitching vascul/o vessel vascul/ar (VĂS-kū-lăr): pertaining to or composed of blood vessels ventricul/o Suffixes ventricle (of heart or brain) intra/ventricul/ar (ĭn-tră-vĕn-trĭk-ū-lăr): within a ventricle -cardia heart condition tachy/cardia (tăk-ē-kăr-dē-ă): rapid heart rate tachy-: rapid -gram record, writing electr/o/cardi/o/gram (ē-lĕk-trō-kăr-dē-ō-grăm): record of electrical activity of the heart -graph instrument for recording electr/o/cardi/o/graph (ē-lĕk-trō-kăr-dē-ŏ-grăf): instrument for recording electrical activity of the heart
Medical Specialities 5 -graphy process of recording electr/o/cardi/o/graphy (ē-lĕk-trō-kăr-dē-ŏ-grăf-ē): process of recording electrical activity of the heart Electrocardiography is a noninvasive test that records the electrical activity of the heart during contractions and rest. It is used to diagnose abnormal cardiac rhythm and the presence of heart muscle (myocardial) damage. -stenosis narrowing, stricture arteri/o/stenosis (ăr-tē-rē-ō-stĕ-nō-sĭs): narrowing of an artery arteri/o: artery Narrowing of an artery may be caused by fatty plaque buildup, scar tissue, or a blood clot. -um structure, thing endo/cardi/um (ĕn-dō-kăr-dē-ŭm): structure within the heart endo-: in, within cardi: heart