Glossary of Medical Terms
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J-K | L | M | N-O | P | Q-R | S | T | U-V-W-X-Y-Z
A
Aneurysm
A sac-like pocket formed in the wall of a blood vessel as a consequence of a weakening in the arterial wall; the pocket is at risk of rupturing at any time
Angina
Radiating pain in the chest, arm, neck or jaw, usually caused by a reduced supply of oxygen to the heart. May be treated with medication, balloon angioplasty or bypass surgery; however, chronic, or “refractory,” angina is persisting angina that does not respond to treatment and dramatically reduces quality of life for patients
Angiography
Medical imaging technique to allow doctors to view the interior characteristics of an artery; involves inserting a small catheter (a thin, hollow tube) through the skin into an artery in the groin or the arm, and injecting radiographic contrast to visualize the artery with x-ray images; the image produced is called angiogram
Angioplasty
Procedure to repair a narrowed blood vessel by inflating a balloon catheter within the vessel to compress plaques against the vessel wall, thus enlarging the vessel lumen and improving blood flow; often also involves implanting a stent to help keep the vessel open
Anti-platelet therapy
Medication administered to prevent blood clotting; often prescribed after the implantation of a bare metal or drug-eluting stent
Arteriogram
An X-ray image of the arteries after dye has been injected into the body
Arteriosclerosis
Hardening and thickening of the artery walls, due to an accumulation of fatty deposits, calcium and/or cell debris
Artery
Blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the body organs
Atherectomy
The process of removing plaque; also known as ablation; one method includes use of a rotation atherectomy catheter, an olive shaped diamond burr which rotates at extremely high speeds
Atherosclerosis
Accumulation of lipid containing material within or beneath the inside surface of an artery.
B
Balloon catheter
Hollow tube with a tiny balloon on its tip, used for gaining access to the arteries; once the catheter is in position, the balloon is inflated in order to push open a section of artery that is obstructed, see angioplasty
Bare-metal stent (BMS)
Stent that is not medicated; considered less effective than drug-eluting stents (DES) at minimizing restenosis
Bariatric surgery
Surgical treatment for the morbidly obese; often called “stomach stapling” surgery; see gastric bypass
Beta launch
Preliminary launch of a new product, where the product is available only to select distributors, sales representatives and/or customers
Bifurcation
Site of the division of an artery into two branches
Biocompatible
Materials that can be implanted or used in a patient without the body reacting adversely to the material
Biomaterial
Material formulated from animal or plant tissue
Blood clot (thrombus)
Coagulation of blood that slows or cuts off blood flow in an otherwise healthy vessel
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Ratio used to assess obesity
Bovine
Derived from or pertaining to a cow
Bovine pericardial tissue
Tissue that surrounds the heart of a cow
BSE
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease)
C
CAMUS Trial
Coronary Angioplasty Metricath vs. Ultrasound (clinical trial)
Cardiac reconstruction
Procedure to repair damaged portions of the heart in order to improve its function
Cardiovascular
System encompassing the heart, veins and arteries
Carotid endarterectomy
Procedure commonly used to reduce the risk of stroke; consists of surgically removing plaque clogged in the two large arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain
Catheter
Hollow tube used for gaining access to the arteries, either to deliver medications or devices, or to withdraw fluids or samples from the body
CE Mark
Designation used to signify regulatory approval for the sale of a product in the European Union
Class II Medical Devices
Canadian Classification given to a medical device with the second-lowest risk to humans
Class III Medical Devices
Canadian Classification given to a medical device with a moderate to high risk to humans.
Class IV Medical Devices
Canadian Classification given to a medical device with the highest risk to humans.
Class 100 Cleanroom
Classification given to a cleanroom that has a maximum of 100 particles per cubic meter of air
Class 1000 Cleanroom
Classification given to a cleanroom that has a maximum of 1000 particles per cubic meter of air
Co-morbidity
One or more disorders or diseases that are in addition to a primary disease or disorder
Compliance
Elasticity; the ability of a material to stretch
Congestive heart failure
Condition where the chambers of the heart can no longer effectively pump blood through the body; often results from repeated heart attacks or other related heart disease that cause portions of the heart muscle to die
Coronary artery
Vessel that supplies the heart muscle with oxygenated blood
Coronary artery disease (CAD)
Disease that affects the coronary arteries, restricting proper blood flow due to the deposit of fatty deposits, cholesterol and/or cell; also called cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Coronary sinus
The main vein of the heart; the vessel that the cardiac veins connect to where blood is returned from the coronary arteries.
D
Deployment
When used in reference to a stent, indicates implantation and expansion of the stent within the artery
Dilatation
Procedure performed to dilate (open) a vessel’s diameter using balloon angioplasty
Dilate
To open or to increase the internal diameter; as with an angioplasty balloon
Drug-eluting stent (DES)
Stent coated with medication that is released gradually into the bloodstream; DES are effective at reducing restenosis; they are also linked with an increased risk of stent thrombosis (blood clotting) as compared to bare-metal (non-medicated) stents, or “BMS”
E
Endovascular
Inside the blood vessels.
Endoventricular patch
Patch used to repair a defect of the ventricle from the inside
EKG/ECG
Electrocardiogram; a test that shows the electrical activity of the heart .
E-PTFE
Expanded polytetrafluroroethylene; an elastic synthetic material
Equine
Derived from or pertaining to a horse
F
FDA
United States Food and Drug Administration; governing body that regulates clearance and approval of the sale of medical devices in the United States
Femoral
Pertaining to the femur (thigh)
Fluoroscope
Equipment used in a cardiac catheterization procedure, which captures "a motion picture" x-ray image of the heart and coronary arteries
G
GAAME trial
Gemini Angioplasty and Arterial Measurement Evaluation (clinical trial for the Metricath Gemini device)
Gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y)
Type of bariatric surgery performed on the morbidly obese to dramatically reduce stomach volume; often referred to as “stomach stapling”
GLP
Good Laboratory Practices
GMP
Good Manufacturing Practices
H
HDE
Humanitarian Device Exemption
Health Canada Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD)
Medical products regulatory body for Canada
Hernia
Condition whereby an organ protrudes outside the cavity in which it is normally contained; most often occurs in the lower abdomen
I
IDE
Investigational Device Exemption
Iliac artery
Large artery located in the pelvis
Interventional cardiology
Practice of treating coronary artery disease by intravascular means; that is, through the arterial system using minimally invasive techniques, rather than with open-heart surgery
In vitro
Outside a living body
In vivo
Within a living body
Ischemia
Lack of or insufficient oxygen flow to living tissue, such as the heart muscle
ISO
International Standards Organization
IVUS
Intravascular Ultrasound; a small, ultrasound device which is threaded into the coronary arteries to give a cross-sectional view of the lumen of the vessel; an established practice for arterial and stent measurement as well as assessment of the physical characteristics of both the vessel and lesion.
J - K
Key Opinion Leader (KOL)
Physician who uses a medical device technology or technique and, based on favorable treatment results, advocates for its use within the broader medical community; helps drive adoption by others
L
Lesion
Blockage in a blood vessel or duct; also known as a plaque or stenosis
Lumen
Internal diameter of any tube-like structure, such as a blood vessel or catheter
M
Metricath®
Proprietary catheter-based arterial measurement and treatment system; measures arterial and stent lumen size and wall compliance; may refer to Metricath Libra® (measure-only) or Metricath Gemini® (measure-and-treat) catheters, as well as the console unit or the entire system
Morbid obesity
An excessive body weight, usually determined by the Body Mass Index (BMI), which can lead to various health conditions and an increased risk of mortality. Defined as having a BMI greater than 40 (or greater than 35 if also afflicted with other health problems)
MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a diagnostic study, similar to a CT or CAT scan, which creates an image using electromagnetic waves
Myocardial infarction
Commonly referred to as a heart attack: a disruption of blood to the heart muscle caused by the blockage of a coronary artery, often resulting in injury or death of the heart muscle
Myocardium
The middle and thickest layer of the walls of the heart, composed of cardiac muscle
N - O
Ostial coronary stenosis
Narrowing (stenosis) of the coronary artery at the site where it the artery opens into the heart (the ostium)
Ostium
Site of the opening of an artery from a larger artery
P
Pericardium
Sac in the chest cavity that contains the heart; pericardial tissue is the soft tissue that forms the sac
Percutaneous
Performed through a small opening in the skin
PeriPatch™
Proprietary surgical tissue material made from bovine or equine pericardium; used to repair damaged/diseased vessels or organs by working as an internal bandage (PeriPatch™ Sheet and PeriPatch™ EQ Sheet)
Peripheral artery
Artery that supplies blood to areas of the body other than the heart (any artery other than a coronary one); the body’s peripheral arteries include iliac, renal, and femoral arteries
Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Disease that affects the peripheral arteries; also called peripheral vascular disease (PVD)
Plaque
Deposit of fats, cholesterol and/or cell debris on artery walls that narrows the artery lumen, restricting proper blood flow
Plaque protrusion
Accumulation of fatty deposits, calcium and/or cell debris in an artery through a previously deployed stent that leads to a re-narrowing of the lumen
PT(C)A
Percutaneous Transluminal (Coronary) Angioplasty; a medical procedure in which a balloon-tipped catheter is used to enlarge the narrowing in a (coronary) artery
Q-R
QCA
Quantitative coronary angioplasty; an enhanced use of angiography, uses computer scaling technologies and boundary detection algorithms to estimate dimensions of imaged structures
Radiography
Film records (radiographs) of internal structures of the body; radiography is made possible by X-rays (or gamma rays) passing through the body to act on a specially sensitized film.
Radiologist
Physician who uses medical imagery (such as x-ray) to diagnose diseases
Reducer™
Proprietary "stent like" device developed to treat refractory angina
Refractory angina
Recurrence of angina symptoms after treatment; chronic heart pain and resulting debilitation
Renal
Pertaining to the kidney
Restenosis
Build-up of scar tissue within an artery after an angioplasty procedure; this re-narrowing of the vessels often requires a repeat interventional procedure to re-open the artery
S
Saphenous vein grafts
A graft made out of the patient’s own saphenous vein extracted from the leg
Stenosis
An abnormal narrowing or constriction of a vessel
Stent
Expandable, metallic tube inserted into a diseased artery to hold the vessel open and to maintain proper blood flow; may be used to deliver medication to the artery wall (a “drug-eluting stent”)
Stent thrombosis
Formation of a blood clot (thrombus) occurring at the site of an implanted stent; may form immediately (“acute”), within a short period of time (“sub-acute” e.g., after 1-2 weeks) or up to a year after the implantation procedure (“late-stage”). May be fatal; considered more likely to occur with drug-eluting stents than bare-metal stents
Stroke
Disruption of blood supply to the brain due to restrained blood flow in the carotid arteries in the neck; results in sudden cessation of brain function that can cause severe debilitation or death; see carotid endarterectomy
Suture
Stitching together of soft tissue during surgery
Surgical Ventricular Restoration (SVR)
Cardiac repair procedure that involves re-constructing the left ventricle of the heart to help restore its function; usually performed to treat patients suffering from congestive heart failure
T
Thrombosis
Formation of a blood clot, or thrombus; see stent thrombosis
TPP
Therapeutics Product Programme (regulatory body for medical device licensing through Health Canada)
U - V - W - X - Y - Z
Ultrasound
Medical imaging technique reliant on high-frequency sound waves that can be bounced off of tissues using special devices; the echoes can then be converted into a picture called a sonogram used to visualize inside the body
Vascular disease
Disease that restricts blood flow within the arteries, generally due to an accumulation of fatty deposits, calcium and/or cell debris leading to the narrowing of the lumen in the blood vessels; may refer to coronary or peripheral arteries, or both
Vasculature
Vascular system that includes the heart, blood, and network of vessels leading to and from the heart; includes coronary and peripheral (non-coronary) vessels.
Vein
Blood vessel that carries de-oxygenated blood from the body’s organs to the heart
Ventricle
Chamber in the heart
Vessel
Artery, vein or duct that carries blood through the body
