Skip to main content
← Back to Cardiac Anesthesia

Cardiac Anesthesia Glossary

100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026

alpha-stat management

Advanced Technical IVT

pH management strategy during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass that maintains uncorrected arterial pH at 7.40.

Showing 1–24 of 100

ACT

Professional Technical IVT

Activated clotting time, a point-of-care test measuring blood coagulation status during cardiac surgery requiring antico...

Abbreviation Full entry →

afterload reduction

Intermediate Technical IVT

Pharmacological or mechanical decrease in the resistance against which the heart must pump, typically achieved with vaso...

Technical Term Full entry →

alpha-stat management

Advanced Technical IVT

pH management strategy during hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass that maintains uncorrected arterial pH at 7.40.

Technical Term Full entry →

antegrade cardioplegia

Intermediate Technical IVT

Delivery of cardioplegic solution through the coronary arteries in the normal direction of blood flow.

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic cannulation

Professional Technical IVT

The surgical insertion of a cannula into the ascending aorta to establish arterial inflow for cardiopulmonary bypass.

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic cross-clamping

Professional Technical IVT

The surgical technique of temporarily occluding the ascending aorta to isolate the heart during cardiac surgery.

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic elastance

Advanced Technical IVT

A measure of arterial stiffness representing the change in aortic pressure per unit change in stroke volume.

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic insufficiency

Intermediate Technical IVT

Backward flow of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle due to incompetent aortic valve.

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic insufficiency jet

Intermediate Technical IVT

The retrograde flow of blood through an incompetent aortic valve during diastole, visualized on echocardiography as a co...

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic regurgitation fraction

Advanced Technical IVT

The percentage of stroke volume that regurgitates back through an incompetent aortic valve during diastole.

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic root venting

Intermediate Technical IVT

Placement of a catheter or needle in the aortic root to remove air and blood during cardiac procedures.

Technical Term Full entry →

aortic stenosis gradient

Intermediate Technical IVT

The pressure difference across a stenotic aortic valve, measured as peak or mean gradient.

Technical Term Full entry →

aprotinin

Advanced Technical IVT

Antifibrinolytic agent historically used to reduce bleeding during cardiac surgery but withdrawn due to safety concerns.

Technical Term Full entry →

arterial line dampening

Intermediate Technical IVT

Loss of accurate arterial pressure waveform fidelity due to air bubbles, clots, or kinked tubing in the monitoring syste...

Technical Term Full entry →

autotransfusion

Intermediate Technical IVT

The process of collecting, processing, and reinfusing a patient's own blood during or after cardiac surgery to reduce al...

Technical Term Full entry →

bathotropy

Professional Technical

The property affecting cardiac excitability; positive bathotropy increases excitability while negative bathotropy reduce...

Technical Term Full entry →

BIS monitoring

Intermediate Technical IVT

Bispectral index monitoring system that measures brain electrical activity to assess depth of anesthesia.

Technical Term Full entry →

cardiac index

Intermediate Technical IVT

Cardiac output normalized to body surface area, expressed in liters per minute per square meter.

CI
Technical Term Full entry →

cardioplegia

Professional Technical IVT

A solution used to induce cardiac arrest during heart surgery to protect the myocardium.

Technical Term Full entry →

cardioplegic arrest

Intermediate Technical IVT

Deliberate cessation of cardiac electrical and mechanical activity using high-potassium solution to protect the myocardi...

Technical Term Full entry →

cardioplegic delivery system

Intermediate Technical IVT

The apparatus and tubing used to deliver cardioplegic solution to the myocardium during cardiac surgery for myocardial p...

Technical Term Full entry →

cardioplegic solution

Intermediate Technical IVT

A specialized preservation fluid used to induce cardiac arrest and protect the myocardium during cardiac surgery procedu...

Technical Term Full entry →

cardiopulmonary bypass

Professional Technical IVT

A surgical technique that temporarily diverts blood circulation away from the heart and lungs during cardiac procedures.

Technical Term Full entry →

cerebral embolic load

Advanced Technical IVT

The total burden of particulate matter and gaseous emboli delivered to the cerebral circulation during cardiac surgery p...

Technical Term Full entry →
Showing 1–24 of 100

Editors from these organisations have used our services since 1998

Reuters BBC Oxford University Press Penguin Random House Springer Microsoft Suncor Energy United Nations Fisher Investments IBM The Home Depot KODAK CHEVRON