A

Angina (or Angina Pectoris)

Chest discomfort, pain, tightness, or pressure; may also have associated pain in neck, jaw, back, or arm; may include profuse sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath. Angina may be a single symptom or a combination of these symptoms. Angina occurs when the demand for blood by the heart exceeds the supply provided by the coronary arteries.

Angioplasty (or Balloon Angioplasty)

Balloon angioplasty is a technique used to widen the narrowing in your artery without surgery. During angioplasty a catheter with a small inflatable balloon on the end is positioned within the narrowed section of the artery. The balloon is then inflated and pushes outward against the narrowing and surrounding wall of the artery. The inflated balloon opens the narrowed artery by splitting and compressing the plaque and slightly stretching the wall of the artery. The balloon may be inflated several times during angioplasty. Each balloon is made of special materials that allow it to inflate to a specific size. Your doctor will select a balloon that will be approximately the same size as your artery. It is possible that the first balloon will be removed and other, larger balloons will be used if additional expansion is required.

Anticoagulant

A substance that slows, suppresses, or prevents the clotting of blood.

Antiplatelet

A medicine that reduces the clumping of platelets in the blood. An antiplatelet medicine helps thin the blood to prevent clot formation.

Atherosclerosis

A disease process in which fatty substances (plaque), such as cholesterol, are deposited on the inner lining of blood vessels.

B

Balloon Angioplasty (or Angioplasty)

See Angioplasty

Balloon Catheter

Coronary stent implantation usually follows balloon angioplasty, which requires inserting a balloon catheter into the femoral artery in the upper thigh. When this catheter is positioned at the location of the blockage in the coronary artery, it is slowly inflated to widen that artery, and is then removed.

C

CABG

See Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

CAD

See Coronary Artery Disease.

Cardiac

Relating to the heart.

Cardiac Catherization

Cardiac catheterization involves the passage of a catheter (a thin flexible tube) into the right or left side of the heart. Generally, this procedure is performed to obtain diagnostic information about the heart or its blood vessels, or to provide therapeutic interventions in certain types of heart conditions.

Catheter

A tube used for gaining access to the body’s cavities or blood vessels. In angioplasty, a catheter provides access to the heart’s arteries.

Catheterization (Coronary Angiogram)

A test used to diagnose coronary artery disease using the catheterization procedure. Contrast dye is injected into the coronary arteries via a catheter, and this allows the doctor to see, on an X-ray screen, the exact site where the artery is narrowed or blocked.

CAT Scanning

See Computed Tomography Scanning.

Cholesterol

A substance that circulates in the blood and plays a role in the formation of blockages. Cholesterol originates in foods that are rich in animal fats.

Computed Tomography Scanning

A technique for producing cross-sectional images of the body in which X-rays are passed through the body at different angles and analyzed by a computer; also called CT scanning or CAT scanning.

Coronary

Related to the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

Coronary Angiogram

See Cardiac Catheterization.

Coronary Arteries

The coronary arteries are special blood vessels that supply the heart with necessary oxygen and nutrients. The heart does not function properly without enough oxygen.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)

An operation in which a section of vein or artery is used to bypass a blockage in a coronary artery; performed to prevent myocardial infarction (heart attack) and to relieve angina.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries.

Coronary Heart Disease

Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries.

CT Scanning

See Computed Tomography Scanning.

D

Diabetes

A disease that affects the metabolism of glucose (sugar), thus causing changes in blood vessels. These changes may aid in the development of coronary artery disease.

E

ECG

See Electrocardiogram.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

A test that measures and shows the electrical activity of the heart muscle.

Exercise Electrocardiogram

See Stress Test.

F

FDA

Food and Drug Administration. The agency of the American federal government that oversees, regulates, and approves new drugs and devices for sale in the United States.

I

In-stent Restenosis

A re-narrowing or blockage of an artery within a stent.

Intervention

An action that produces an effect or that is intended to alter the course of a disease process.

Interventional Cardiologist

A doctor specializing in the minimally invasive procedures to treat the heart.

Interventional Cardiology

A field of heart medicine dedicated to research and technology for minimally invasive heart procedures.

Ischemia

Lack of or insufficient oxygen to tissue (in this case, the heart muscle). Ischemia is a reversible condition if normal blood flow is restored.

L

Lesion

A blockage in a blood vessel; also known as plaque or stenosis.

M

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A diagnostic study, similar to a CT or CAT scan, that creates an image using electromagnetic waves instead of X-ray.

MRI

See Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Myocardial Infarction

Commonly called a “heart attack.” When insufficient oxygen reaching the heart muscle via the coronary arteries may cause angina, heart attack (myocardial infarction), or even death to the affected area of the heart. Involves irreversible damage to heart tissue/muscle.

P

Plaque

The accumulated material that causes a blockage in a blood vessel; also known as a lesion or stenosis.

Platelets

Blood cells that are involved in the formation of a clot.

R

Reintervention

The act of reintervening by performing additional procedures to prevent serious injury or correct complications from a prior procedure. The purpose of reintervention in cardiac cases is to open an artery that has become re-blocked following an initial procedure. This is also called revascularization.

Restenosis

A re-narrowing or blockage of an artery at the same site where angioplasty was previously done.

Revascularization

A procedure that must be conducted to open or bypass an artery that has become blocked. If it needs to be done again, it is called a reintervention.

S

Sirolimus

A drug that, in a CYPHER® Stent, helps limit the overgrowth of normal tissue in your artery as the healing process occurs following coronary stent implantation. Overgrowth of normal tissue is thought to be a major factor responsible for re-narrowing of the artery after implanting a stent.

Stent

An expandable, slotted metal tube that is inserted into a vessel and acts as a scaffold to provide structural support.

Stent Implantation

A stent is a small, latticed, metal scaffold that is introduced into a blood vessel on a balloon catheter. The doctor maneuvers the catheter into the blocked artery and inflates the balloon. Inflation causes the stent to expand and press against the vessel wall. Once the balloon has been deflated and withdrawn, the stent stays in place permanently, holding the blood vessel open and improving blood flow.

Stress Test (also known as Exercise Electrocardiogram)

A test that measures electrical changes in the patient’s heart (ECG) while the patient is doing controlled exercise. The stress test can show if there has been damage to the heart or if there is decreased blood flow to areas of the heart.

T

Target Lesion Revascularization (TLR)

Repeat intervention of a previously treated lesion (or blockage) using balloon angioplasty, stent implantation, or bypass graft surgery.

Thrombosis/Late Thrombosis

A blockage caused by clumping of cells. Late thrombosis occurs after 30 days.

V

Vessel

Any channel for carrying a fluid, such as an artery or vein.