Vascular terms can be confusing, especially when you’re dealing with a health issue. The below guide explains some of the words and terms commonly used by vascular health professionals to help you understand your care.
Acute Condition: A health condition with a sudden, unexpected, or rapid onset.
Aneurysm: A weakened area in a blood vessel wall that bulges outward and may rupture or burst.
Angiogram: An imaging test that uses dye and X‑rays (or scans) to show blood vessels clearly.
Angioplasty: A procedure that widens a narrowed blood vessel using a small balloon.
Ankle‑Brachial Index (ABI): A comparison of blood pressure in the ankle and the arm to assess blood flow in the legs.
Anticoagulants: Medicines that reduce the blood’s ability to clot (often called blood thinners).
Antiplatelet Medicines: Drugs that reduce blood cells (platelets) sticking together.
Arteries: Blood vessels that carries the blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.
Atherosclerosis: Build‑up of fatty material (plaque) inside arteries, causing them to narrow and stiffen.
Blood Flow: How easily blood moves through blood vessels.
Blood Pressure: The force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels.
Bypass Surgery: An operation that creates a new route for blood to flow around a blocked vessel.
Capillaries: Very small blood vessels where oxygen and nutrients pass into body tissues.
Chronic Condition: A long‑term health condition.
Circulation: The movement of blood around the body.
Compression Therapy: Stockings or bandages that apply pressure to help veins move blood upwards.
Doppler Ultrasound: A scan that uses sound waves to measure blood flow in blood vessels.
Embolus: A blood clot or other material that travels through the bloodstream and blocks a vessel.
Endarterectomy: Surgical removal of plaque from inside an artery.
Endothelium: The thin inner lining of blood vessels.
Fibrin: A sticky, thread-like protein that forms a mesh to help your blood clot and stop bleeding.
Fibrinaloids: Protein-rich, fibrin-like materials that build up in tissues (often during injury or disease) as part of processes like clotting or tissue damage.
Hemodynamic: How blood flows through the body, including speed, pressure, and resistance.
Hypertension: Persistently high blood pressure.
Hypoxia: Low oxygen levels in body tissues.
Infarction: Permanent tissue damage caused by loss of blood supply (for example, a heart attack).
Ischaemia: Too little blood reaching a tissue or organ.
Lumen: The hollow inner space of a blood vessel where blood flows.
Occlusion: A complete blockage of a blood vessel.
Oedema: Swelling caused by fluid build‑up.
Perfusion: How well blood is reaching tissues and organs.
Plaque: Fatty material that builds up on the inner walls of arteries.
Stenosis: Narrowing of a blood vessel.
Stent: A small metal tube placed in a blood vessel to keep it open.
Thrombectomy: A procedure to physically remove a blood clot from a vessel.
Thrombolysis: Treatment using medication to break down blood clots.
Thrombus: A blood clot that forms within a blood vessel.
Ulceration: An open sore on the skin caused by the breakdown of skin tissue.
Vascular Disease: Any condition that affects blood vessels.
Vascular System: The network of arteries, veins, and capillaries throughout the body.
Vasoconstriction: Narrowing of blood vessels.
Vasodilation: Widening of blood vessels.
Veins: Blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart.
Venous Reflux: Backward flow of blood in veins due to faulty valves.