| Here
are the meanings of some commonly used technical terms in heart
disease and reports:
|
||
| Angina | : |
Pain
in chest. Usually occurs on exertion and is relieved by rest |
| Myocardial Infarction | : |
Heart
attack |
| Ejection Fraction | : |
Pumping
capacity of the heart |
| Coronary artery | : |
Arteries
supplying blood to the heart |
| Pacemaker | : |
A
small device that supplies current to the heart and can be implanted
in the chest. |
| Stress Test | : |
The
patient is made to exercise on treadmill and any changes in the
ECG are recorded. Positive stress test means that further investigations
(usually coronary angiography) are required. (This test is about
68% accurate.) |
| Thallium test | : |
Similar to stress test but can give more information particularly if patient has low ejection fraction (This test is about 78% accurate) |
| CT Angio | : |
This is a method of looking for blocks in the coronary arteries using CT Scan technology. At present it is a screening tool. (It is approximately 80 to 90% accurate.) |
| Coronary Angiography | : |
This test is the gold standard for looking for blocks in the coronary arteries. |
| LIMA | : |
LIMA (Left Internal Mammary Artery). This is an artery inside the chest that the surgeon commonly uses for constructing a bypass. |
