Exam 1 Review:  Chapter 18:  Infections and Systemic Cardiac Pathology

endocarditis - Any inflammation of the endocardium (the lining of the heart chambers) and valves; frequently caused by a bacterial infection or rheumatic fever, symptoms include fever, embolism, changing heart murmurs, and heart failure.

rheumatic fever - A severe infectious disease caused by Group A Streptococcus occurring chiefly in children, characterized by fever and painful inflammation of the joints and frequently resulting in permanent damage to the valves of the heart.

embolus - Any inappropriate mass of material, a clot of blood, fat, air, amniotic fluid, tumor fragment or some other substance which travels through the bloodstream, lodging in the small vessels as soon as it reaches a point where the vessel diameter is smaller than the diameter of the mass of material.

congestive heart failure (CHF) - A clinical diagnosis which refers to a global failing of the heart muscle; after the heart muscle ceases to work, fluid accumulates in the lungs and body; among the possible consequences of CHF are an inability to breathe, liver failure, hypotension, myocardial infarction, and death; CHF is treated with diuretics or, in severe cases, a heart transplant.

pulmonary congestion = pulmonary edema - The clinical condition in which too much tissue fluid accumulates in the lungs; the fluid blocks the transport of oxygen from the lungs into the blood because it leaks into the air sacs and tissue of the lungs; emergency treatment with medicines and mechanical ventilation may be necessary.

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