Meaning & use
cardiopulmonary
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounmedicaltechnical
Concerning the heart and the lungs, and the way they work together to move blood and oxygen.
Grammar: Almost always placed before a noun: cardiopulmonary function.
Patterns
- cardiopulmonary function
- cardiopulmonary disease
The doctor tested his cardiopulmonary function before surgery.
Smoking raises the risk of cardiopulmonary disease.
Hospitals train staff in cardiopulmonary emergency care.
Common combinations
- cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can save a life.
- cardiopulmonary function
- Exercise improves cardiopulmonary function.
- cardiopulmonary arrest
- The patient suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest.
- cardiopulmonary system
- The cardiopulmonary system delivers oxygen to the body.
- cardiopulmonary fitness
- Running builds cardiopulmonary fitness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cardiorespiratory
- Cardiorespiratory is nearly identical and slightly more common in fitness writing, while cardiopulmonary is common in hospital and emergency contexts.
- cardiovascular
- Cardiovascular concerns the heart and blood vessels, whereas cardiopulmonary specifically includes the lungs.
- cardiac
- Cardiac relates only to the heart, so it is narrower than cardiopulmonary.
- pulmonary
- Pulmonary relates only to the lungs and is narrower than cardiopulmonary.
Word family
Commonly confused: cardiopulmonary or cardiovascular?
cardiopulmonary vs cardiovascular
Cardiovascular covers the heart and blood vessels, while cardiopulmonary covers the heart and lungs.
Practice
CPR stands for cardio______ resuscitation, a method used when the heart and breathing have stopped.
Choose one answer.
CPR means cardiopulmonary resuscitation, involving the heart and lungs; vascular, digestive and neural do not form that term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cardiopulmonary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.