Cardiovascular System – Blood Vessels and Blood

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Learning Objectives

  • Identify the anatomy and describe the main functions of  blood vessels and the composition of blood
  • Analyze, translate, and define medical terms and common abbreviations of blood vessels and the blood system
  • Practice the spelling and pronunciation of blood vessel and blood system medical terminology
  • Identify the medical specialties associated with the blood vessels and blood and explore common diseases, disorders, diagnostic test and procedures

Key Word Components

Identify meanings of key word components of the cardiovascular system – blood vessels and blood:

Prefixes

  • a- (absence of, without)
  • pan- (all, total)
  • epi- (on, upon, over)
  • inter- (between)
  • peri- (surrounding, around)
  • endo- (within, in)
  • hypo- (below, deficient)
  • hyper- (above, excessive)
  • poly- (many, much)

Combining Forms

  • angi/o (vessel, blood vessel)
  • aort/o (aorta)
  • arteri/o (artery)
  • ather/o (fatty plaque)
  • chrom/o (color)
  • coagul/o (clotting)
  • cyt/o (cell)
  • eosin/o (red, dawn, rosy)
  • erythr/o (red)
  • hemat/o (blood)
  • hem/o (blood)
  • is/o (same, equal)
  • isch/o (deficiency, blockage)
  • lymph/o (lymph, lymph tissue)
  • lymphaden/o (lymph node, lymph tissue)
  • leuk/o (white)
  • myel/o (bone marrow, spinal cord)
  • mon/o (one, single)
  • neutr/o (neutral; neither base nor acid)
  • phag/o (eat, swallow)
  • phleb/o (vein)
  • plasm/o (plasma)
  • poikil/o (varied, irregular)
  • therm/o (heat)
  • thromb/o (clot)
  • thym/o (thymus gland)
  • splen/o (spleen)
  • ven/o (vein)

Suffixes

  • -ac (pertaining to)
  • -apheresis (removal)
  • -ar (pertaining to)
  • -blast (immature cell, embryonic)
  • -centesis (surgical puncture to aspirate fluid)
  • -cytosis (abnormal condition of cells (increase in cells))
  • -ectomy (excision, surgical removal)
  • -emia (in the blood)
  • -genic (producing, originating, causing)
  • -globin (protein)
  • -gram (record, radiographic image)
  • -graph (instrument used to record)
  • -graphy (process of recording, radiographic imaging)
  • -ia (condition of, diseased state, abnormal state)
  • -ic (pertaining to)
  • -itis (inflammation)
  • -logist (specialist who studies and treats)
  • -logy (specialty)
  • -lysis (loosening, dissolution, separating)
  • -megaly (enlarged, enlargement)
  • -logist (specialist, physician who studies and treats)
  • -oid (resembling)
  • -oma (tumor)
  • -osis (abnormal condition)
  • -ous (pertaining to)
  • -pathy (disease)
  • -penia (abnormal reduction in number)
  • -pexy (surgical fixation, suspension)
  • -phage (eat, swallow)
  • -plasty (surgical repair)
  • -poiesis (formation)
  • -sclerosis (hardening)
  • -stenosis (narrowing, constriction)
  • -scope (instrument used to view)
  • -scopy (process of viewing)
  • -stasis (stop, stopping, controlling)
  • -stenosis (narrowing, constriction)
  • -tomy (cut into, incision)

Cardiovascular System – Blood Vessels and Blood Words

Cardiovascular System – Blood, medical terms (Text Version)

Practice the following cardiovascular system words by breaking into word parts and pronouncing.

  1. angioscope (angi/o/scope)
    • Instrument used for visual examination of blood vessels
  2. arteriogram(arteri/o/gram)
    • radiographic image of an artery
  3. phlebectomy(phleb/ectomy)
    • excision of a vein
  4. hemolysis(hem/o/lysis)
    • dissolution of (red) blood (cells)
  5. multiple myeloma(multiple myel/oma)
    • tumours of the bone marrow
  6. lymphoma (lymph/oma)
    • tumour of lymphatic tissue (malignant)
  7. thrombocytopenia(thromb/o/cyt/o/penia)
    • abnormal reduction of (blood) clotting cells
  8. polyarteritis (poly/arter/itis)
    • Inflammation of many (sites in the) arteries
  9. angioscopy(angi/o/scopy)
    • visual examination of blood vessels
  10. intravenous (IV) (intra/ven/ous)
    • pertaining to within a vein
  11. thrombophlebitis (thromb/o/phleb/itis)
    • inflammation of a vein associated with a (blood) clot
  12. pancytopenia (pan/cyt/o/penia)
    • abnormal reduction of (all) blood cells
  13. plasmapheresis (plasm/apheresis)
    • removal of plasma
  14. hematopoiesis (hemat/o/poiesis)
    • formation of blood (cells)
  15. lymphadenopathy (lymphaden/o/pathy)
    • disease of lymph nodes
  16. thrombosis(thromb/osis)
    • abnormal condition of (blood) clot
  17. venogram (ven/o/gram)
    • radiographic image of a vein
  18. hematology (hemat/o/logy)
    • study of blood
  19. aortic stenosis (aort/ic stenosis)
    • narrowing, pertaining to the aorta
  20. angioplasty (angi/o/plasty)
    • surgical repair of a blood vessel
  21. aortogram (aort/o/gram)
    • Radiographic image of the aorta
  22. splenomegaly (splen/o/megaly)
    • enlarged spleen
  23. thrombolysis (thromb/o/lysis)
    • dissolution of a (blood) clot
  24. splenopexy (splen/o/pexy)
    • surgical fixation of the spleen
  25. endarterectomy(end/arter/ectomy)
    • Rebel does not follow the rules
    • Excision within the artery
  26. hypothermia (hypo/therm/ia)
    • condition of (body) temperature that is below (normal)
  27. thrombus (thromb/us)
    • (blood) clot (attached to the interior wall of artery or vein)
  28. hematologist (hemat/o/logist)
    • Physician who specializes and treats blood disorders
  29. thymoma (thym/oma)
    • tumour of the thymus gland
  30. hematoma (hemat/oma)
    • tumour composed of blood
  31. arteriosclerosis (arteri/o/sclerosis)
    • hardening of the arteries
    • hardening of fatty plaque (on arterial wall)
  32. thymectomy (thym/ectomy)
    • excision of the thymus gland
  33. angioma (angi/oma)
    • tumour composed of blood vessels
  34. atherosclerosis (ather/o/sclerosis)
    • hardening of fatty plaque
  35. lymphadenitis (lymphaden/itis)
    • inflammtion of lymph nodes
  36. myelopoiesis (myel/o/poiesis)
    • formation of bone marrow
  37. angiography(angi/o/graphy)
    • radiographic imaging of blood vessels
  38. angiostenosis (angi/o/stenosis)
    • narrowing of a blood vessel
  39. hemostasis (hem/o/stasis)
    • stoppage of bleeding
  40. leukocytopenia (leuk/o/cyt/o/penia)
    • abnormal reduction of white (blood) cells
  41. splenectomy (splen/ectomy)
    • Excision of the spleen
  42. phlebotomy (phleb/o/tomy)
    • incision into a vein
  43. phlebitis(phleb/itis)
    • inflammation of a vein
  44. erythrocytopenia (erythr/o/cyt/o/penia)
    • abnormal reduction of red (blood) cells
  45. atherectomy (ather/ectomy)
    • Excision of fatty plaque

Activity source: “Cardiovascular System – Blood, medical terms” by Kimberlee Carter, licensed under CC BY- 4.0 from “Cardiovascular System – Blood Vessels and Blood” in Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. / Converted to Text.

Pronouncing and Defining Cardiovascular System – Blood Vessels and Blood Medical Terms

Cardiovascular System – Blood Terms Not Easily broken down (Text Version)

Practice the following cardiovascular blood terms by breaking into word parts and pronouncing.

  1. phlebotomist
    • A specially trained person who draws blood or injects IV fluids
  2. anaphylaxis
    • exaggerated reaction to a previously encountered antigen may start out as mild reaction but can quickly become severe resulting in anaphylactic shock
  3. anemia
    • reduction in number of erythrocytes
  4. immunodeficiency
    • deficient immune response caused by immune system dysfunction brought on by disease or immune suppressive drugs.
  5. ischemia
    • condition of deficient blood flow due to a constriction or obstruction of a blood vessel
  6. sepsis
    • toxic condition due to spread of bacteria or their toxins from an infection

Activity source: “Cardiovascular System – Blood Terms Not Easily Broken Down” by Kimberlee Carter, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. / Text version added.

Pronouncing and Defining Commonly Abbreviated Cardiovascular System – Blood Vessels and Blood Terms

Practice pronouncing and defining these commonly abbreviated cardiovascular system – blood vessels and blood terms:

  • Ab (antibody)
  • ABO (four main blood types – A, B, AB, O)
  • aPTT (activated partial thromboplastin time
  • baso (basophils)
  • CBC and Diff (complete blood count and differential)
  • CPK (creatine phosphokinase)
  • EBV (Epstein-Barr virus; cause of mononucleosis)
  • EPO (erythropoietin)
  • H&H (hemoglobin and hematocrit lymphs)
  • Hct (hematocrit)
  • Hgb (hemoglobin)
  • mono (monocyte)
  • PT (prothrombin time)
  • PTT (partial thromboplastin time)
  • RBC (red blood cell, erythrocyte)
  • Sed Rate (erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
  • WBC (white blood cell, leukocyte)
  • WNL (within normal limits)

Sorting Terms

Sort the terms from the word lists above into the following categories:

  • Disease and Disorder (terms describing any deviation from normal structure and function)
  • Diagnostic (terms related to process of identifying a disease, condition, or injury from its signs and symptoms)
  • Therapeutic (terms related to treatment or curing of diseases)
  • Anatomic (terms related to body structure)

Medical Terms in Context

Place the following medical terms in context to complete the scenario below:

Cardiovascular System – Consultation Report (Text version)

Fill in the consultation report with using the following words:

  • Angiogram
  • defect
  • palpitations
  • infection
  • blood pressure
  • coronary

PATIENT NAME: Jack MIRANDA
AGE: 74
SEX: Male
DATE OF CONSULTATION: March 26, 2020
CONSULTING PHYSICIAN: Kevin Palmer, MD, Cardiology

REASON FOR CONSULTATION: Coronary artery disease.

PAST MEDICAL HISTORY

  1. Coronary artery disease. He had an NST MI in July 2015. _________[Blank 1] showed three-vessel disease and had PCT of RCA OM1. LAD had 60% stenosis which was no significant by FFR and medical management was recommended. He had a Grade 2 left ventricular function after the MI, but it improved a year later. His last echocardiogram in 2019 showed preserved ejection fraction at 60 with no significant valvular abnormalities and no significant wall motion abnormalities. He had an exercise Myoview in 2018 where he could achieve a workload of 9 Mets without symptoms or electrical changes. Perfusion images showed a wall fixed inferior _________[Blank 2] in keeping with his
    previous inferior MI.
  2. Hypertension.
  3. Hypercholesterolemia.
  4. Ex-smoker quit in 2016.
  5. Rare alcohol.
  6. Gout.
  7. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

MEDICATIONS
Aspirin 81 mg q.d.
Bisoprolol 5 mg q.d.
Candesartan 60 mg q.d.
Atorvastatin 80 mg q.d.
Ezetrol 10 mg q.d.
Allopurinol 300 mg q.d.

HISTORY: Overall, he has been feeling well. He denies any exertional symptoms with usual activity. He walks his dog 20 minutes a day and denies any chest pain, shortness of breath. He denies orthopnea, _____________[Blank 3], dizziness presyncope, or syncope.
He was recently hospitalized with a respiratory ___________[Blank 4]. He was treated with antibiotics and was discharged 2 days later. He has been feeling better and has gone back to his usual activities.
In regards to his CLL, he has been stable with usual lymphocyte count around 30. No other cytopenia. No splenomegaly. He is being followed with a surveillance strategy with regular CBCs by hematologist.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: On physical exam he is alert and oriented in no acute distress, hemodynamically stable, __________[Blank 5] 120/70, heart rate 60 with regular rhythm, there is no evidence of volume overload, lungs are clear. Lab work showed white cell count of 30 with lymphocytes, 25 hemoglobin, 122 platelets, 340 creatinine, 70 EGFR, 75 sodium, 144 potassium, 5.6, A1c 5.4L, DL 1.2.

SUMMARY: Mr. Miranda seems to be stable from the cardiac point of view. He has a history of ________________[Blank 6] artery disease with previous MI treated with PCI of RCA and OM1. He has a residual 60% stenosis of LAD that was not significant by FFR. He is on antiplatelet agents, high intensity statin therapy, and the combination of ARB’s and beta-blockers. As long as his functional capacity remains stable, we do not need to do a follow up. Exercise treadmill test but should his symptoms change, this should be considered.

PLAN: His blood pressure is well controlled. His LDL is within the goal. There is no history of diabetes. He quit smoking 2016. I made no changed to his current treatment plan and advised him to come back in a year’s time and earlier, should symptoms change.

__________________________
Kevin Palmer, MD, Cardiology

 

Note: Report samples (H5P and Pressbooks) are to encourage learners to identify correct medical terminology and do not represent the Association for Health Documentation Integrity (AHDI) formatting standards.

Check your answers: [1]

Activity source: Neurological System – History and Physical Examination by Sheila Bellefeuille & Heather Scudder, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. / Text version added.

Test Your Knowledge

Test your knowledge by answering the questions below:

Cardiovascular System -Blood Vessels and Blood Glossary (Text version)
  1. Proteins produced by B lymphocytes in response to a non-self antigen are called _____[Blank 1].
    1. Antibodies
    2. Capillaries
    3. Macrophages
  2. An autoimmune disorder in which the body mounts an immune response against its own joint tissues, causing inflammation and damage to the joints is referred to as ______[Blank 2].
    1. Rheumatoid Arthritis
    2. Sickle Cell Disease
    3. Crohn Disease
  3. A freely moving piece of a substance (plaque or blood clot) that travels through the circulation until it blocks a smaller blood vessel, cutting of the supply of oxygen to the tissue is called _______[Blank 3].
    1. Embolus
    2. Perfusion
    3. Perfusion
  4. _______[Blank 4] is the thickness of fluids that affects their ability to flow.
    1. Viscosity
    2. Pneumothorax
    3. Thrombosis
  5. The process by which the body seals a ruptured blood vessel to prevent further blood loss is called _______[Blank 5].
    1. Homeostasis
    2. Hemostasis
    3. Hemopoiesis

Check your answers: [2]

 

Activity source:  Cardiovascular System -Blood Vessels and Blood Glossary by Tiffany Hunt, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. / Converted to Text.

Downloadable Worksheets

View or download & print the PDF or Word format worksheet below:

Worksheet – Cardiovascular System – Chapter 9-10 [Word]

10. Cardiovascular System – Blood – Words Not Easily Broken Down [Word]

10. Cardiovascular – Blood – Definitions [Word]

10. Cardiovascular – Blood – Scenario [Word]

Attribution

Except where otherwise noted, this book is adapted from Medical Terminology by Grimm et al. (2022), Nicolet College, CC BY 4.0 International. / A derivative of Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Carter & Rutherford (2020), and Anatomy and Physiology by Betts, et al., CC BY 4.0, which can be accessed for free at OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology.

  1. 1) Angiogram 2) defect 3) palpitations 4) infection 5) blood pressure 6) coronary ↵
  2. 1. Antibodies, 2. Rheumatoid Arthritis, 3. Embolus, 4. Viscosity, 5. Hemostasis ↵

License

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Building a Medical Terminology 2e - Student Companion Workbook Copyright © 2024 by Kimberlee Carter; Marie Rutherford; and Connie Stevens is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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