Angina Pectoris - heart pains caused by lack of blood supply to the heart muscle

Angiogram - Injection of dye into an artery or a vein or lymphatic channel anywhere in the body.

Angioplasty - Opening up of a blood vessel by means of an expandable balloon device, frequently in association with stenting.

Antiarrhythmic Medications - used in the treatment of disorders of the heartbeat.

Aortic Root Angiogram - The injection of dye immediately above the aortic valve and photography of that dye as it flows into the central aorta (which is the large artery leading to the body from the heart).

Arteriogram - The injection of dye into an artery anywhere in the body.

Blood Thinners - This group of drugs is extremely useful in the treatment of Blood Clot Conditions. This class of drugs is used to treat Heart Valve Conditions, Thrombophlebitis, Pulmonary Emboli, Arterial Blood Clots, Strokes and a variety of other disorders.

Coronary Angiogram - The injection of dye into a heart (coronary) artery via a heart catheter.

Coronary Arteriogram - An identical definition to coronary angiogram.

Coronary Artery Spasm - a potentially serious narrowing of a heart artery. Contraction of the muscle within the artery wall results in the temporary closure of the coronary artery.

Diuretics - act by removing salt and water from the body through the action of the kidney. Diuretics are the used in the treatment of Congestive Heart Failure, Hypertension, Renal Diseases, Liver Diseases and various other conditions.

Heart Catheterization - A combined term usually describing all of the studies done by the cardiologist during a heart diagnostic study. This generally involves the drawing of blood samples from inside the heart, the injection of dye into the main pumping chamber of the heart, the study of the valves of the heart, and the injection of dye and the taking of pictures of the coronary arteries. This term "catheterization" is the all-inclusive term, but the combined procedure is sometimes incorrectly called "coronary arteriogram."

Heart Rhythm Disturbances - rapid heart problems such as atrial fibrillation, atrial tachycardias, and irregularities of the heart rhythm such as PVCs.

Hypertension - high blood pressure, usually BP greater than 140/85-90

Left Ventricular Angiogram - The injection of dye into the main pumping chamber of the heart.

Right Heart Catheterization - The placing of a special catheter inside the right chambers of the heart (right atrium and right ventricle). Access into the right side of the heart is from a vein in the leg or arm.

Stent - Originally proposed by British dentist Dr. Stent in the 1800's, the "stent" has been in common usage since the mid 1990's. The metal support device is implanted inside a blood vessel where it serves as an internal scaffold to keep the vessel open.