Opening the blocked artery by using a balloon catheter that is inflated inside the vessel. A catheter is a small, thin plastic tube used to provide access to parts of the body, such as the coronary arteries.
Balloon Catheter
A catheter with a balloon attached to the tip, used to dilate and widen a passageway in the body. Balloon catheters are used to open arteries that are blocked by plaque by compressing the blockage against the wall of the vessel, opening a passage and restoring blood flow. The balloon catheter now also serves as a means to open an adequate pathway to deliver a stent, known as pre-dilatation.
Beating Heart Surgery
See Minimally Invasive Surgery.
Biopsy
The removal of tissue from patients for diagnostic examination.
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood traveling through the main arteries of the body. Blood pressure is measured both when the ventricles of the heart are contracting (systolic pressure), and when the ventricles are at rest (diastolic pressure). The autonomic nervous system regulates the body's blood pressure. Healthy blood pressure levels vary with age. For a young adult a healthy pressure averages 120 systolic and 80 diastolic (recorded as 120/80). Blood pressure also varies temporarily with physical or emotional stress and exercise. Hypertension is when the blood pressure is too high and hypotension is when it is too low (for instructions on taking your pulse, see Heart Rate Chart).
Brachiocephalic (Innominate) Vein
The two brachiocephalic veins are formed at the base of the neck by the joining of the jugular veins in the neck and the subclavan veins from the arms. These two veins in turn combine in the chest to form the superior vena cava.
Bypass Surgery
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations. CABG surgery creates new routes around narrowed and blocked arteries, allowing sufficient blood flow to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscles.
