Angina
Chest pain that originates in the heart.

Aorta
Blood vessel that delivers oxygen rich blood from the left ventricle to the body; it is the largest blood vessel in the body.

Arterial blood gas - ABG
A blood test that measures the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the arterial blood. Usually, the blood sample is taken from the radial artery at the wrist.

Atrial fibrillation & atrial flutter
Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are very fast electrical discharge patterns that make the atrial chamber of the heart contract extremely rapidly, thus causing the ventricles to contract faster and less efficiently than normal. In fibrillation, the atrial rhythm is irregular, so the ventricular rhythm is also irregular; in flutter, the atrial and ventricular rhythms usually are regular.

Atrium
One of the two receiving chambers of the heart.  The left atrium receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs. The right atrium receives oxygen-depleted blood from the body.

Calcium Channel Blocker - CCB
A treatment for PH; tablets.

Cardiac output 
Total amount of blood being pumped by the heart over a particular period of time.

Catheter 
Thin flexible tube.

Catheterization 
Use of catheter to study heart and lung function. Pictures, blood samples, and pressures are recorded.

Central line catheter
A surgically implanted line that goes directly into the heart. The end, which remains outside the body, is connected to IV medication lines.

Clinical trials 
Medical studies of patients that evaluate the effectiveness of treatments.

Constrict 
Tighten; narrow.

CREST syndrome 
A less severe form of scleroderma, named for its symptoms: calcium deposits in the skin and throughout the body, Raynaud's phenomenon, esophageal dysfunction, sclerodactylly (skin damage on the fingers) and telanggieectasia (spider veins). People who have CREST syndrome can develop pulmonary hypertension.

Cyanosis 
A bluish color in the skin because of lack of adequate oxygen.

Diastolic pressure 
The lowest pressure to which blood pressure falls between contractions of the ventricles.

Dilate 
Relax; expand.

Diluent
A sterile solution used for reconstituting Flolan powder.

Dyspnea 
Difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath.

Echocardiogram 
A non-invasive diagnostic procedure using ultrasound waves to study the heart. It is used to assess disorders of cardiac muscle function or valve function, or other abnormalities such as elevated pulmonary pressure.

Endothelin
A substance made by the body, which narrows blood vessels and elevates blood pressure.

Endothelin antagonists/ inhibitors
Endothelin antagonists are a new class of drugs for the treatment of PH.

Edema 
Swelling due to too much fluid.

Endothelial cells 
Lining of organs of blood flow.

FDA
U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the regulatory agency which approves new drugs for use.

Fibrosis 
Scarring of tissue, making it stiffer and not as functional as normal tissue.

Flolan™ 
A treatment for PH; continuous infusion of prostacyclin via battery operated pump.

Heartbeat 
One pump of the heart.

Hyperactive 
Excessive reaction of tissue.

Hypertension 
Abnormally high pressure.

Hypotension 
Abnormally low pressure.

Hypoxia 
Inadequate amounts of available oxygen in the blood

INR 
International Normalization Ratio value. A standardized measure of blood clotting time/ratio. Prothrombin time blood test results are reported in seconds and can vary depending upon the reagent used; the INR result is independent of the reagents used and is therefore a more uniform test result. Therapeutic INR is usually considered to be 2.0 to 3.5 in most institutions.

Lung volume 
The amount of air the lungs hold.

Mean blood pressure 
The average blood pressure.

Nuclear testing 
Use of radioactive medication to trace the blood flow- usually done with very low level of radiation exposure (equal to chest x ray).

O2
Oxygen

Oximeter
A device for measuring or monitoring oxygen concentration in the blood using an electrode placed on a finger or an earlobe--a procedure called oximetry.

Oxygen saturation
The amount of available oxygen in the blood. The percentage of oxygen concentration is referred to as O2 Sats.

PCP
Primary Care Physician

PH Specialist
A physician, usually a cardiologist or pulmonologist, who has diagnosed and treated a large number of PH patients.  A PH specialist is familiar with current diagnostic methods and treatments for PH.

Palpitation 
The sensation of rapid heartbeats.

Perfusion 
Flow of liquid through a network of vessels or tissue.

Primary pulmonary hypertension - PPH 
Unexplained cases with no known cause (idiopathic).

Prostacyclin
A synthetic form of prostaglandin.  It is also known as epoprostenol. Flolan and Remodulin are two forms of prostacyclin.

Prostaglandin
A steroid that is produced naturally in the body in a normally healthy person. It causes blood vessels in the lungs to relax and allow blood to flow through them more easily.

Pulmonary 
Medical term for the lungs.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension - PAH
One of five categories of pulmonary hypertension; this category includes PH of unknown origin.

Pulmonary artery - PA 
Blood vessel delivering blood to the lung from the right side of the heart.

Pulmonary Artery Pressure – PAP
Blood pressure in the artery carrying blood from the heart to the lungs.

Pulmonary Function Test – PFT
A group of tests to measure the lungs' capacity to hold air as well as their ability to move air in and out and to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Pulmonary hypertension - PH 
Abnormally high pressure in the arteries of the lungs.

Pulse oximeter
A fingertip device for measuring oxygen concentration in the blood.

Remodulin™
A synthetic, stable form of prostacyclin that is administered under the skin rather than into the bloodstream.

Right Heart Catheterizations - RHC 
Use of catheter to study heart and lung function. Pictures, blood samples, and pressures are recorded. Considered the "gold standard" for diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension.

Secondary pulmonary hypertension - SPH 
Cases that result from another disease that elevates the pressure in the arteries of the lungs.

Sitaxsentan
An oral drug treatment for PH in clinical trials; it is an Endothelin A antagonist.  This drug is the second generation of endothelin inhibitors to be developed for treating PH.

Sleep apnea 
A condition in which the patient has short periods of not breathing during sleep.

Smooth muscle 
Usually the middle layer of an artery, which contains elastic and performs automatic tasks, such as tightening blood vessels.

SOB 
Short of Breath.

Specialty pharmacy distributor
Providers of pharmaceutical services for patients with chronic diseases or genetic disorders that require high-cost, complex therapies.

Subcutaneous infusion
A drug treatment delivery method that infuses the drug under the skin by means of a small pump.  Remodulin is delivered in this manner.

Syncope 
Fainting, temporary loss of wakefulness.

Systemic 
Affects all of the body.

Systolic pressure 
The highest pressure to which blood pressure rises with pumping of the heart.

Thoracentesis
A procedure in which pleural effusion (fluid that has collected abnormally in the space around the lungs) is removed with a needle and syringe, so it can be analyzed, and also to relieve shortness of breath caused by lung tissue compression.

Tracleer™ 
An oral drug treatment for PH (formerly known as Bosentan). It is an Endothelin A+B antagonist.

UT-15
The name of Remodulin™ while it was in clinical trials.

Vasoconstrictor 
Something (drug or action) that narrows and tightens the blood vessels.

Vasodilator
Something (drug or action) that widens and relaxes the blood vessels.

Ventricle 
One of the two pumping chambers of the heart. The right ventricle receives oxygen -poor blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the body through the aorta.

Viagra™ (Sildenafil)
An oral drug treatment for PH in clinical trials in Sydney, Australia.  It is hoped that Viagra will increase the capacity to produce nitric oxide, which decreases the elevated pulmonary artery pressure minimizing the symptoms associated with PAH.
  

This glossary has been compiled from information provided by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Mosby's Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference,   Barron's Dictionary of Medical Terms and Merck Manual Home Edition.   - Lynn Z. Schaeffer