- acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
- death of cardiac tissue due to lack of oxygen
- adrenergic agonist
- a drug that stimulates adrenergic receptors, resulting in sympathetic nervous system stimulation
- anaphylaxis
- systemic and overwhelming immune response to an antigen
- angina
- discomfort in the front of the chest, neck, shoulders, jaw, or arms that is precipitated by physical exertion and is relieved by rest or sublingual nitrates
- anticholinergic
- having the effect of inhibiting the cholinergic receptors, which then inhibits the parasympathetic nervous system
- asystole
- a state of cardiac standstill; complete cessation of electrical activity of the heart
- atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response
- a dysrhythmia that involves rapid electrical stimulation, causing the atria and ventricles to contract rapidly
- calcium channel blocker
- a classification of drugs that prevent calcium from entering cells by binding to long-acting voltage-gated calcium channels in the heart, smooth muscle, and pancreas
- cardiac output
- the product of the heart rate and stroke volume, or the amount of blood ejected with each heartbeat
- cardiogenic shock
- shock caused by cardiac damage (pump failure)
- defibrillation
- administration of electrical shock to a person experiencing a life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmia in an effort to restore normal sinus rhythm
- dysrhythmia
- an irregular heart rhythm
- hypovolemic shock
- decreased tissue perfusion caused by decreased circulating blood volume
- infarction
- cell death due to lack of oxygen
- inotropic agent
- a drug that causes the heart to contract with more force
- ischemia
- deficient supply of blood to tissues, which can cause injury
- nitrate
- a classification of drugs that cause vasodilation of blood vessels by imparting nitric oxide, which relaxes smooth muscles
- opioid agonist
- a drug that stimulates the opioid receptors and decreases pain sensations
- oxygen saturation
- measure of how much hemoglobin is bound to oxygen in the bloodstream
- pulmonary edema
- excessive fluid in the lungs
- pulseless electrical activity
- a life-threatening dysrhythmia in which the electrical system conducts impulses but the cardiac myocytes do not respond
- pulseless ventricular tachycardia
- a life-threatening dysrhythmia in which the ventricles contract so rapidly that a pulse cannot be detected
- shock
- decreased tissue perfusion to the point of hypoxia, which causes cells to undergo anaerobic metabolism; if not reversed, will lead to cell and tissue death
- supraventricular tachycardia
- rapid heart rate that originates above the ventricles
- symptomatic bradycardia
- heart rate less than 60 beats/min that causes the individual to have symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
- systemic vascular resistance
- resistance to blood flow by the blood vessels
- ventricular fibrillation
- a life-threatening dysrhythmia originating in the ventricles in which the ventricles are not coordinated in their contraction, leading to minimal cardiac output
- ventricular tachycardia
- a dysrhythmia that originates from the ventricles and causes them to contract rapidly