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Glossary
B
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Body mass index (BMI) |
Your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters. Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.45 to get kilograms; convert your height to inches and multiply by 0.0254 to get meters. BMI is a measurement used to determine obesity, which is 25% above the ideal body weight. |
| brachial artery |
an artery that runs down the inside of your upper arm; blood pressure in this artery is measured as part of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) test |
| Brachytherapy/vascular brachytherapy |
Radiation treatment for in-stent restenosis. A catheter delivers radiation that zaps the scar tissue and clears the artery. |
| Bradycardia |
Abnormally slow heartbeat, one of the two main types of arrhythmias, or disorders of heart rhythm. |
| Brain bypass |
A surgical procedure that reroutes blood around a blocked vessel in the brain to restore blood flow |
| Bruit |
a “whooshing” noise, heard by your doctor using a stethoscope, which may be caused by abnormal blood flow in an artery narrowed by artery disease |
| Buerger's disease |
A rare rheumatologic condition in which blood vessels in both the arms and legs become inflamed, resulting in a narrowing of the arteries in these limbs that can lead to gangrene. |
| Bundle of His |
A bundle of conduction fibers running from the atrioventricular node and conducting electrical impulses between the heart's lower chambers. |
| Bypass surgery |
A procedure to treat blocked coronary arteries that uses healthy arteries or veins to create a detour around the blockage to increase blood flow to the heart. |
