Cardiovascular Surgery Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
TAVR TAVR
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a minimally invasive procedure to replace the aortic valve without open surgery.
akinetic segment
Area of myocardium that shows no contractile motion, indicating severe ischemia or infarction, relevant for surgical rev...
anastomosis
A surgical connection between two blood vessels, typically in bypass surgery.
annuloplasty
Surgical repair of a heart valve annulus using sutures or prosthetic rings to restore proper valve function.
aortic cross-clamp
Surgical instrument used to occlude the ascending aorta during cardiac procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass.
aortic dissection
Tear in the aortic wall creating a false lumen, classified as Stanford Type A or B based on involvement of the ascending...
aortic root
The portion of the left ventricular outflow tract containing the aortic valve, sinuses of Valsalva, and coronary artery...
aortic root angioplasty
Surgical technique to enlarge the aortic annulus and root to accommodate a larger prosthetic valve, often using patch ma...
aortic root enlargement
Surgical technique to increase the size of the aortic annulus and root to accommodate a larger prosthetic valve.
aortic stenosis
Narrowing of the aortic valve opening that restricts blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta.
aortic valve cusp
Individual leaflet of the tricuspid aortic valve, named anatomically as right coronary, left coronary, or non-coronary c...
aortic valve replacement
Surgical procedure replacing a diseased aortic valve with a mechanical or biological prosthesis.
aortotomy
Surgical incision into the wall of the aorta to access the aortic valve or aortic root.
arterial conduit
Patient's own artery used as a bypass graft in coronary artery surgery, typically offering superior long-term patency.
arterial switch
Surgical correction of transposition of the great arteries by switching the aorta and pulmonary artery to their correct...
arterial switch operation
Surgical correction of transposition of great arteries by switching arterial connections to anatomically correct positio...
atrial fibrillation
Irregular heart rhythm characterized by chaotic atrial electrical activity, often addressed surgically during cardiac pr...
atrial septal defect repair
Surgical correction of abnormal opening between the heart's atrial chambers.
Bentall procedure
A cardiac surgical procedure replacing the aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aorta with a composite graft contain...
bicaval cannulation
Cannulation technique using separate cannulas in the superior and inferior vena cava for venous drainage during cardiopu...
bidirectional Glenn
Palliative cardiac surgery connecting the superior vena cava directly to the pulmonary arteries.
CABG
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery, a procedure to reroute blood around blocked coronary arteries.
cardiac catheterization
Invasive diagnostic procedure involving insertion of catheters into cardiac chambers and coronary arteries to assess str...
cardiogenic shock
Life-threatening condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, often requiring emergency...
cardioplegia
A solution used to temporarily stop the heart during surgery to protect the myocardium from ischemic injury.