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Glossary
V
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Veins |
Blood vessels that transport blood from all parts of the body back to the heart. |
| venography |
a rarely-used test to diagnose deep vein thrombosis and chronic vein disease; this test uses a special dye injected into the blood to produce X-ray images of the veins and blood flow through them; also called phlebography |
| venous pressure measurements |
a test that measures the blood pressure in a vein using a needle inserted into the top of the foot or the thigh; used to provide information about the location and severity of vein disease |
| venous thromboembolism (VTE) |
a general term for blood clots that formed in a vein and may travel through the bloodstream; VTE includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) |
| Venous thrombosis |
A blood clot in a vein. Clots that are deep in the body are the most dangerous, because of their tendency to migrate and block other vessels. See Deep-vein thrombosis. |
| Ventricle |
One of the two main pumping chambers of the heart. Both ventricles contract forcefully; the right ventricle pushes blood into the lungs to pick up oxygen, and the left one pumps oxygen-rich blood out to the body. |
| Ventricular fibrillation |
a serious type of abnormal heart rhythm in which the main pumping chambers of the heart beat in a disorganized manner (or quiver); if it is not corrected it can caused sudden cardiac death; to prevent this, patients who are at risk may need to have an ICD implanted to detect and stop the abnormal rhythm |
| ventricular hypertrophy |
thickening of the walls of the pumping chambers of the heart that happens in some women with blood filling problems (diastolic heart failure) |
| ventricular septal defect (VSD) |
a type of congenital heart defect in which there is a hole in the heart muscle wall that separates the left ventricle from the right ventricle; this allows oxygen-rich blood to flow from the left ventricle into the right ventricle instead of out to the rest of the body; a large VSD can cause the heart to work too hard to pump blood and lead to heart failure |
| ventricular tachycardia |
a serious type of abnormal heart rhythm in which the main pumping chambers of the heart beat too fast: if this goes on for a long time (sustained ventricular tachycardia) it can result in sudden cardiac death; to prevent this, patients who are at risk may need to have an ICD implanted to detect and stop the abnormal rhythm |
| Voice output communication aids (VOCA) |
technology used to assist stroke survivors with communication problems |
