Glossary

Antiplatelet and/or Anticoagulation Therapy - Medication that helps prevent blood clots.

Aorta - The largest blood vessel in the body. The aorta is connected to the heart’s left ventricle. The aorta carries oxygen-enriched blood to the body.

Arrhythmia - Loss of regular heart rhythm.

Artery/Arteries - Blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart and to other tissues throughout the body (except for the pulmonary artery, which carries oxygen-poor blood to the lungs.)

Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) - An abnormal opening between the upper two chambers of the heart.

Atrial Septum - The wall that divides the upper two chambers of the heart.

Atrium - pl. atria One of the upper two chambers of the heart (right and left atrium).

Blood Vessel - The pathways through which blood travels in the body.

Cardiac Catheterization - A procedure in which catheters are passed through the arteries and/or veins of the heart. Pressures are measured, and blood samples are taken from within the heart and its major blood vessels.

Catheter - A sterile, flexible, hollow tube designed for insertion into a vessel to permit injection or withdrawal of fluids or through which devices can be delivered.

Endocarditis - Redness and swelling of the lining of the heart and its valves.

Embolus - A mass, such as an air bubble or blood clot, that travels in the bloodstream and gets stuck in a small blood vessel and blocks or decreases blood flow.

Esophagus - The part of the body that connects the mouth to the stomach.

Heart Defect - Imperfection or malformation of the heart, existing at birth.

Hematoma - A mass of blood which is a result of a break in a blood vessel.

Lungs - Pair of breathing organs located within the chest, which remove carbon dioxide and bring oxygen to the blood. There is a right and left lung.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - A type of test used to visualize body tissue that uses a magnetic field.

Occluder - To occlude or block an opening.

Pulmonary Artery - The artery connected to the heart’s right ventricle that carries oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs.

Pulmonary Vein - The vein that receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and delivers it to the heart's left ventricle.

Stroke - The sudden loss of brain function caused by a blocked or broken blood vessel to the brain.

Thrombus - Blood clot.

Transient Ischemic Attack - A 'warning stroke' and 'mini-stroke' that produces stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage.

Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) - An ultrasound test to visualize the heart and defect, where an imaging probe with a camera is placed in the esophagus.

Vein/Veins - Blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood towards the heart from tissues throughout the body (except for the pulmonary vein, which carries oxygen-rich blood to the heart from the lungs).

Ventricles (right and left) - One of the two lower chambers of the heart.