Heart Disease F-L

Femoral Artery

The main artery of the thigh, a continuation of the external iliac artery.

Femoral Vein

The vein accompanying the femoral artery in the same sheath in the thigh - it becomes the external iliac vein.

Graft

An organ or tissue taken from a site or a person and inserted into a new site or person. Example: leg vein “harvested” to use in a coronary artery bypass surgery.

Heart-Lung Machine

See cardiopulmonary bypass machine.

Holter Monitor

Trademark for a device for making prolonged electrocardiograph recordings on a portable tape recorder while the patient conducts normal daily activities.

ICU

Intensive Care Unit in a hospital, where heart surgery patients are taken after the procedure has been completed for constant monitoring using sophisticated equipment and specially trained personnel.

Internal Mammary Artery

Artery on the inside of the chest wall that is commonly used for bypass grafting.

“Keyhole” Incision

A small incision in the skin made during endoscopic (or less invasive) surgery. Also called a port. By comparison, conventional surgery often involves a much larger incision.

Left Anterior Descending Artery

The left and right coronary arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart. The left coronary artery branches out before reaching the heart, with one of the branches being the Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD). Due to the location of the incisions and the use of the internal mammary artery, less invasive heart bypass surgery is sometimes limited to blockages in the LAD.