Cardiovascular system Glossary

Glossary

Aorta

The aorta is the main artery in the body. It leaves the heart and takes oxygen-rich blood to the whole body, except to the lungs. It begins the thorax, goes down to the abdomen, where, at the navel level, is divided in the iliac arteries.

Stroke

Impairment in the brain circulation caused by the formation of fat plaques inside the carotid arteries, which take blood to the brain. Click here to go to the page of Carotid diseases and to know more about this subject. (Link)

Arteries

Blood vessels that transport blood from the heart to the remaining of the body.

Carotid arteries

These are vessels that begin in the aorta, course over the neck, and enter into the skull, taking blood to the brain.

Coronary arteries

The coronary arteries are arteries that take oxygenated blood to the cardiac muscle. There are 3 main coronary arteries: the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery, which begins as a short trunk and is bifurcated into anterior descending coronary and circumflex coronary.

Femoral arteries

These are two vessels (one for each leg), which take blood from the thighs to the legs in the groin region. They are usually used as access to place an endoprosthesis in aneurysms of thoracic and abdominal aorta.

Iliac arteries

Two arteries (one for each leg) located at the navel level, which connect the aorta to the femoral arteries in the groin.

Ischemic cardiopathy

Term used to define narrowings of the coronary arteries, which take oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Click here to go to the page of Ischemic cardiopathy and to know more about this subject. (Link)

Heart

The heart has 4 cavities (chambers): two in the upper portion (the two atria) and two in the lower portion (the two ventricles). Two large arteries leave the ventricles: the pulmonary artery leaves the right ventricle and the aorta (largest artery in the body) leaves the left ventricle.

Heart failure

Difficulty of the heart to properly pump blood to the body.

Vascular System

The vascular system is the set of vessels that transport blood through the body.
Veins: These are thin-walled blood vessels that take blood from the tissues to the heart.

Veins

These are thin-walled blood vessels that take blood from the tissues to the heart.