OET Medical Vocabulary
OET Cardiology Vocabulary: 78 Heart and Circulation Terms with Plain-English Meanings
Nov
Heart disease is everyday work in almost every healthcare setting, so it is everyday material in OET: a Listening Part A consultation about chest pain, a Speaking role-play where you explain a new tablet after a heart attack, a set of Writing case notes that reads Hx HTN, IHD. ECG: AF. Rx bisoprolol. As with every clinical area, you need each word in three forms: the medical term you hear and read, the plain words you say to a patient, and the short form that appears in notes.
This page gives you all three. Spelling is British, as used in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, with the American form noted where it differs. OET accepts either; in Writing, be consistent. For the general terms and abbreviations that come up in every specialty, start with our OET Vocabulary guide.
How to use this list
Each table has the same three columns.
| Column | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Medical term | What you will hear in Listening and read in Reading and in Writing case notes. Learn to spell it |
| Say to a patient | What to use in a Speaking role-play. Unexplained jargon costs marks |
| In notes | How the term typically appears in case notes or a referral letter |
Take one table a day, cover the middle column, and say the patient version aloud.
The heart and blood vessels
| Medical term | Say to a patient | In notes |
|---|---|---|
| atrium (plural atria) | one of the two upper chambers of the heart | left atrium dilated |
| ventricle | one of the two lower chambers of the heart, which pump blood out | good left ventricular function |
| valve | one of the four valves that keep blood flowing in the right direction through the heart | aortic valve calcified |
| myocardium | the heart muscle | myocardial damage |
| coronary arteries | the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood | three-vessel coronary disease |
| aorta | the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body | aorta normal calibre (US caliber) |
| artery | a blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart | femoral artery puncture |
| vein | a blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart | long saphenous vein harvested |
| systolic pressure | the top number: the pressure when your heart beats | systolic 160 |
| diastolic pressure | the bottom number: the pressure when your heart rests between beats | diastolic 95 |
| pulse | your heartbeat, felt at the wrist or neck | pulse 72, regular |
Cardiac symptoms are described by where they are felt and where they spread. For words like chest, sternum and epigastrium, see the chest entry and our Medical English Body Parts A–Z.
Symptoms
| Medical term | Say to a patient | In notes |
|---|---|---|
| angina | chest pain or tightness, sometimes spreading to the arm, neck or jaw, that comes on when the heart muscle is not getting enough blood, usually with exercise or stress | exertional angina, relieved by rest |
| palpitations | feeling your heart racing, pounding, fluttering or skipping beats | palpitations x3 this week |
| dyspnoea (US dyspnea) | shortness of breath; breathlessness | dyspnoea on exertion (SOBOE) at 50 m |
| orthopnoea (US orthopnea) | breathlessness when you lie flat, which gets better when you sit up | 3-pillow orthopnoea |
| paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea (US dyspnea) | suddenly waking up at night gasping for breath and needing to sit up | PND x2 per week |
| syncope | fainting; passing out | syncope on standing |
| presyncope | feeling as if you are about to faint | presyncopal episodes |
| peripheral oedema (US edema) | swelling of the ankles and legs caused by fluid | pitting oedema to mid-shin |
| intermittent claudication | cramping pain in the leg muscles, usually the calves, when you walk, which goes away when you rest | claudication at 100 m |
| diaphoresis | heavy sweating, often with cold, clammy skin | pale and diaphoretic |
| radiating pain | pain that spreads, for example to the arm or jaw | central chest pain radiating to left arm |
| cyanosis | a bluish or greyish colour of the lips, tongue, skin or nails, caused by too little oxygen in the blood | no central cyanosis |
Three-pillow orthopnoea (often written 3-pillow orthopnoea) means the patient needs to be propped up on three pillows to breathe comfortably in bed. It is a rough guide to how bad the orthopnoea is. Orthopnoea is a common feature of heart failure, though lung disease can also cause it.
Conditions
| Medical term | Say to a patient | In notes |
|---|---|---|
| hypertension | high blood pressure | HTN, on ramipril |
| postural hypotension (also orthostatic hypotension) | your blood pressure drops when you stand up, which can make you dizzy | postural drop of 25 mmHg systolic |
| hypercholesterolaemia (US hypercholesterolemia) | high cholesterol | hypercholesterolaemia, on atorvastatin |
| atherosclerosis | a build-up of fatty deposits that narrows the arteries | widespread atherosclerosis |
| ischaemic heart disease (also coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease; US ischemic) | narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart | known IHD |
| acute coronary syndrome | a sudden reduction in blood flow to the heart; it covers a heart attack and unstable angina | admitted with ACS |
| myocardial infarction | a heart attack: the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is suddenly cut off, and that part of the muscle is damaged | inferior STEMI |
| cardiac arrest | the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body | out-of-hospital cardiac arrest |
| heart failure | the heart is not pumping blood around the body as well as it should. It does not mean the heart has stopped | HFrEF, EF 35% |
| arrhythmia | an abnormal heart rhythm: a heartbeat that is irregular, too fast or too slow | for arrhythmia monitoring |
| atrial fibrillation | an irregular and often fast heartbeat | AF, rate controlled |
| bradycardia | a slow heart rate | sinus bradycardia, 48 bpm |
| tachycardia | a fast heart rate | sinus tachycardia, 110 bpm |
| heart murmur | a whooshing sound made by blood flowing through the heart, heard with a stethoscope. Many murmurs are harmless | systolic murmur, grade 2/6 |
| stenosis | a narrowing. A narrowed heart valve does not open fully; a narrowed artery lets less blood through | severe aortic stenosis |
| regurgitation | a leaky valve: some blood flows backwards | mild mitral regurgitation |
| cardiomyopathy | a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump | dilated cardiomyopathy |
| endocarditis | inflammation of the inner lining of the heart, usually the valves, most often caused by an infection | infective endocarditis |
| pericarditis | inflammation of the sac around the heart | viral pericarditis |
| peripheral arterial disease | narrowing of the arteries, usually in the legs, which reduces the blood flow | PAD, absent foot pulses |
| aortic aneurysm | a bulge in the wall of the body’s main artery | 5 cm AAA under surveillance |
| deep vein thrombosis | a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg | left calf DVT |
| pulmonary embolism | a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel in the lungs, usually after travelling there from a vein in the leg | PE on CTPA |
| varicose veins | swollen, twisted veins, usually in the legs | bilateral varicose veins |
Two pairs cause the most confusion with patients.
- Heart attack and cardiac arrest are different. In a heart attack an artery supplying the heart is blocked. The person is usually awake and often has chest pain, though some have only mild symptoms or none. In a cardiac arrest the heart stops pumping, and the person collapses, is unresponsive and is not breathing normally. A heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest.
- Heart failure sounds worse than it means. Patients hear failure and think the heart is about to stop. Say what it means straight after the term.
Tests and investigations
| Medical term | Say to a patient | In notes |
|---|---|---|
| auscultation | listening to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope | heart sounds normal, no murmurs |
| electrocardiogram | a test that records the electrical activity of your heart through small sticky pads on your chest, arms and legs | ECG: sinus rhythm |
| echocardiogram | an ultrasound scan of the heart | echo: EF 55% |
| exercise tolerance test (also exercise ECG or stress test) | an ECG recorded while you walk on a treadmill or cycle on an exercise bike | ETT negative |
| Holter monitor (also 24-hour ECG) | a small ECG recorder that you wear for a day or more | 24-hr Holter: paroxysmal AF |
| ambulatory blood pressure monitoring | a cuff you wear for 24 hours that measures your blood pressure at regular intervals | ABPM daytime average 148/92 |
| coronary angiogram | an X-ray of the heart’s arteries. A thin tube is passed in from the wrist or groin and dye is injected | angiogram: 80% LAD stenosis |
| troponin | a blood test that shows whether the heart muscle has been damaged | troponin elevated |
| lipid profile | a blood test for cholesterol and other fats | fasting lipids: LDL 4.2 |
| BNP (also NT-proBNP) | a blood test that helps to show whether the heart is under strain | NT-proBNP raised |
| INR | a blood test that shows how long your blood takes to clot | INR 2.4, target 2–3 |
The tube used for an angiogram is a catheter, and the access point is the radial artery at the wrist or the femoral artery in the groin.
Treatments and procedures
| Medical term | Say to a patient | In notes |
|---|---|---|
| percutaneous coronary intervention (also angioplasty) | a small balloon is used to widen the narrowed artery, and a stent is usually left in place | primary PCI to RCA |
| stent | a tiny mesh tube that holds the artery open | drug-eluting stent to LAD |
| coronary artery bypass graft | bypass surgery: a blood vessel from your leg, chest or arm is used to carry blood around the blockage | CABG x3, 2019 |
| valve replacement | an operation to replace a damaged heart valve | tissue AVR 2021 |
| pacemaker | a small device placed under the skin of your chest that stops your heart beating too slowly | PPM in situ |
| implantable cardioverter defibrillator | a device placed under the skin that can give the heart a shock if a dangerous rhythm starts | ICD fitted 2022 |
| cardioversion | a controlled electric shock, given while you are briefly asleep, to bring the heart back to a normal rhythm. It can sometimes be done with medicine instead | DC cardioversion, successful |
| catheter ablation | a thin tube is passed into the heart to make tiny scars that block the faulty electrical signals causing the abnormal rhythm | AF ablation 2023 |
| thrombolysis | clot-busting medicine | thrombolysed at 14:20 |
| cardiopulmonary resuscitation | chest compressions and rescue breaths to keep blood flowing when the heart has stopped | CPR commenced by bystander |
| defibrillation | an electric shock to stop a dangerous, chaotic heart rhythm so that a normal rhythm can return | defibrillated x2 |
| cardiac rehabilitation | a programme of exercise and advice after a heart attack, heart surgery or another heart problem | referred to cardiac rehab |
| antihypertensive | blood pressure tablets | antihypertensives reviewed |
| beta blocker | a medicine that slows the heart and lowers blood pressure | bisoprolol 2.5 mg daily |
| ACE inhibitor | a medicine that relaxes the blood vessels to lower blood pressure | ramipril 5 mg daily |
| statin | a medicine that lowers cholesterol | atorvastatin 40 mg od |
| antiplatelet | a medicine that makes the blood less sticky, to help prevent clots | aspirin 75 mg daily |
| anticoagulant | a blood thinner: a medicine that helps to prevent blood clots | apixaban 5 mg bd |
| diuretic | a water tablet: a medicine that helps your body get rid of extra fluid | furosemide 40 mg mane |
| glyceryl trinitrate (US nitroglycerin) | a spray or tablet used under the tongue to relieve or prevent chest pain (angina) | GTN spray prn |
Abbreviations you will see in case notes
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| BP | blood pressure | Written 140/90, said 140 over 90 |
| HR | heart rate | In bpm, beats per minute |
| HTN | hypertension | |
| IHD / CAD | ischaemic heart disease / coronary artery disease | The same condition. CHD is also used |
| ACS | acute coronary syndrome | |
| MI | myocardial infarction | STEMI and NSTEMI are the two main types, named after the ECG pattern (whether or not the ST segment is raised) |
| AF | atrial fibrillation | Also AFib, especially in US patient materials |
| CCF / CHF | congestive cardiac failure / congestive heart failure | Older terms. HF (heart failure) is now preferred, often with the type, e.g. HFrEF (reduced ejection fraction) |
| EF | ejection fraction | The percentage of the blood in the left ventricle that is pumped out with each beat (normal about 50–70%). Also LVEF |
| SOBOE | shortness of breath on exertion | |
| PND | paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea | |
| JVP | jugular venous pressure | JVP not raised |
| HS | heart sounds | HS normal |
| SR | sinus rhythm | The normal heart rhythm |
| ECG (US EKG) | electrocardiogram | |
| ETT | exercise tolerance test | In anaesthetic and intensive care notes, ETT usually means endotracheal tube |
| CXR | chest X-ray | |
| PCI | percutaneous coronary intervention | |
| CABG | coronary artery bypass graft | Often said as cabbage |
| PPM | permanent pacemaker | |
| ICD | implantable cardioverter defibrillator | |
| GTN | glyceryl trinitrate | |
| ACEi | ACE inhibitor | |
| DOAC (older: NOAC) | direct oral anticoagulant | Apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban, dabigatran |
| INR | international normalised ratio | Mainly used to monitor warfarin |
| LDL / HDL | low-density / high-density lipoprotein | Bad and good cholesterol |
| PAD (also PVD) | peripheral arterial disease / peripheral vascular disease | PAD is the preferred term. PVD is older and can also include vein disease |
| AAA | abdominal aortic aneurysm | Said as triple A |
| CPR | cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
How this vocabulary is tested in each sub-test
Listening Part A: numbers and spelling
A cardiology consultation is full of numbers: blood pressure, heart rate, doses, how far the patient can walk. Writing them as figures, 150/95 and 2.5 mg, is quicker under time pressure; include the unit if you hear one. For words, write exactly what you hear. OET accepts both British and American spelling. These are the words that go wrong under time pressure:
- arrhythmia: double r, then hy
- ischaemia / ischaemic (US ischemia)
- dyspnoea, orthopnoea, oedema (US dyspnea, orthopnea, edema)
- palpitations, angina, syncope
- cholesterol, hypercholesterolaemia
- diuretic, anticoagulant, aneurysm
- echocardiogram, defibrillator, catheter
If you miss a spelling during the audio, write it the way it sounds and fix it when you check your answers. On paper you get two minutes at the end of the test; on computer there is only a short pause after each question, so fix it straight away. Our Listening Part A guide covers the timing in detail.
Speaking: explain, then check
Cardiology role-plays often involve a frightened patient: someone who has just had a heart attack, or who has been told they have heart failure. Plain words matter more than usual. Compare:
“Your echo shows an ejection fraction of 35%, consistent with heart failure.”
→ Better: “The scan shows that your heart is not pumping as strongly as it should. We call this heart failure. It does not mean your heart is going to stop, and there are tablets that help.”
Many role-plays also ask you to talk about medication and lifestyle. Useful lines:
- “This tablet lowers your cholesterol. You take it once a day, at about the same time each day.”
- “If you get chest pain, stop what you are doing, sit down and use the spray under your tongue. If the pain has not gone after 5 minutes, use it again. If you still have pain 5 minutes after the second dose, call an ambulance.” (999 in the UK, 000 in Australia, 911 in the US)
- “Can I ask how you feel about stopping smoking?”
- “Just to check I have explained it clearly, can you tell me how you will take the new tablets?”
Writing: turn the notes into sentences
Cardiology case notes are dense with abbreviations. Your letter should read as full sentences, with abbreviations expanded unless the reader will certainly know them:
Notes: “Hx HTN, T2DM. c/o central chest pain on exertion 2/52, relieved by rest. ECG: SR. Rx GTN spray prn, aspirin 75 mg daily. ?stable angina.”
→ Letter: “Mr Lee has a history of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. He presented with a two-week history of central chest pain on exertion, which is relieved by rest. His ECG showed sinus rhythm. He has been prescribed aspirin 75 mg daily and a glyceryl trinitrate spray to use as required. Stable angina is suspected.”
A cardiologist will understand PCI to LAD. A community nurse or a physiotherapist may need a stent placed in one of the heart’s arteries. More on this in how to read case notes effectively.
Quick practice
Each line below is written the way it would appear in case notes. Say it the way you would explain it to the patient, then check.
- Exertional angina. For ETT.
- AF on ECG. Commence apixaban.
- CCF. Pitting oedema to mid-shin. Furosemide increased.
- Inferior STEMI. Primary PCI, stent to RCA.
- Postural hypotension. Antihypertensives reviewed.
Show suggested answers
- “The chest pain you get when you walk is probably coming from your heart: the heart muscle is not getting quite enough blood when it works harder. I’d like to arrange a test where we record your heart while you walk on a treadmill.”
- “The heart tracing shows that your heartbeat is irregular. This is called atrial fibrillation. It can allow blood clots to form, which can cause a stroke, so I am starting you on a medicine that helps to prevent clots.”
- “Your heart is not pumping as well as it should, and fluid is building up in your legs. I am increasing your water tablet to help your body get rid of the extra fluid.”
- “You have had a heart attack: one of the arteries supplying your heart was blocked. The doctors opened it with a small balloon and left a tiny mesh tube in place to keep it open.”
- “Your blood pressure drops when you stand up, and that is why you feel dizzy. We have looked again at your blood pressure tablets. Until this settles, get up slowly.”
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know drug names for OET?
You need to recognise and spell the common ones when you hear them, and to copy them accurately from case notes. You are not tested on pharmacology. Knowing the class helps you explain a medicine simply: a statin lowers cholesterol, a diuretic removes extra fluid.
Is it ECG or EKG?
Both mean electrocardiogram. ECG is used in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and EKG is common in the US. Both are widely understood. In Listening, write what you hear; in Writing, use the form in the case notes and keep to it.
Can I say “heart attack” in a referral letter?
In a letter to another health professional, use myocardial infarction. With a patient or relative, say heart attack. Matching the word to the reader is part of what Writing (Genre and style) and Speaking (Appropriateness of language) assess.
Is this vocabulary only for doctors and nurses?
No. Listening and Reading are the same for all twelve professions, so a pharmacist, physiotherapist or dietitian can meet a cardiology consultation in Part A. Writing and Speaking are specific to your profession.
The fastest way to make these words stick is to meet them in a real task. Our free OET practice test has a sample from each sub-test with the answers explained, and the full Vol.01 set is free on the app.
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