Altissia vocab Nurse anesthesist

visual analogue scale

visual analogue scale

A rating scale from 0 to 10 that allows the patient to self-assess their pain.

disoriented

Confused and not understanding what is happening around you.

mental confusion

A clinical condition characterised by an alteration of consciousness where a person's thoughts are scrambled or disordered.

bronchodilator

A drug that increases the diameter of the bronchi (air passages in the lungs) to assist with breathing.

bronchospasm

Rapid and involuntary contraction of the muscles of the bronchi (air passages of the lungs) leading to difficulty in breathing.

physiotherapy

The use of physical methods (e.g. massage, heat, exercises) instead of drugs or surgery to treat disease or injury. (American term: physical therapy)

morphine

A very potent analgesic and narcotic drug that acts on the central nervous system and is used in the treatment of pain.

diabetic

Related to a metabolic disorder in which there is a high blood sugar level over a long period of time.

defibrillator

A machine that gives the heart an electric shock to make it start beating again after a heart attack.

dosage

The amount and/or frequency of a medicine or drug.

to reverse

To undo; to make something the opposite of what it was.

emergency cart

Mobile platform or trolley with the necessary equipment for the management of an emergency medical situation (e.g. heart attack) that allows medical personnel to react quickly and appropriately. (American term: a crash cart)

cognitive test

Examination to evaluate different functions including memory, language and reasoning

general anaesthesia

A medical act that allows the patient to have surgery by inducing loss of consciousness and pain, with the need for continuous monitoring and often artificial control of vital functions.

complication

Adverse change in health status, in the context of an illness or an operation.

locoregional anaesthesia

Insensitivity to pain in a particular area of ​​the body, resulting from a gas or injection of drugs given to patients before surgery, medical examination or treatment.

hypertensive crisis

Very high blood pressure, measured at rest.

Intubation

Medical procedure to allow artificial respiration and consisting of inserting a tube (or probe) in the trachea, through the mouth or nose.

intravenous infusion

Medical technique for administering medication or nutritive liquids to a person directly into his/her blood via a vein. (Another term: an IV drip)

operating room

Specific part of the hospital where surgical procedures are performed.

to extubate

To remove the intubation tube from the trachea of ​​a patient.

case notes

A method for organising the transmission of information relating to a patient's health problems, for the purpose of providing continuity of care among various medical personnel. (Another term: patient charts)

monitoring

Set of techniques to observe, check and record something/someone.

vertigo

A feeling of sickness, giddiness or dizziness caused by an inner-ear disease or by looking down from a high place.

post-operation surveillance room

A room in a hospital for patients undergoing post-anaesthetic monitoring following surgery. (Another common term: recovery room, or post-op recovery room.)

anxious

Someone feels likes this when feeling an impression of danger or a problem ahead.

clinical condition

State or condition of a person's mental, emotional or physical health, when in a medical setting