Health Concepts III Exam Review

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms, pathophysiology, and diagnostic markers from the Health Concepts III study guide for Nursing School.

Systolic heart failure

Heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction where the heart cannot contract forcefully enough during systole to eject enough blood, causing the ejection fraction to drop below $40\%$. ($50-70\%$ is normal).

Diastolic heart failure

Heart failure with preserved left ventricular function where the left ventricle has a normal ejection fraction but fails to relax enough during diastole, preventing sufficient filling for cardiac output.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)

A substance released by the ventricles in response to stretch from fluid overload; it is useful for determining whether acute dyspnea is caused by heart failure or lung dysfunction.

Echocardiogram

The number one diagnostic choice for heart failure; an ultrasound that detects ejection fraction, valvular changes, pericardial effusion, and ventricular hypertrophy.

Tetralogy of Fallot

A mixed flow heart defect involving four specific defects: pulmonary stenosis, ventricular septal defect ($VSD$), overriding aorta, and right ventricular hypertrophy.

Hemarthrosis

Bleeding into the joint cavities, a common symptom of hemophilia that cause pain and swelling.

Koilonychia

Brittle, concave nails often seen in chronic cases of iron deficient anemia.

Vaso-occlusive crisis

A sudden onset of extensive red blood cell sickling that creates tiny clots, leading to impaired tissue perfusion, further hypoxia, and ischemia to affected tissues.

Hypervolemia

Fluid volume overload characterized by excess fluid in the extracellular space (third spacing) due to excessive intake or inadequate output.

Anaplastic

A characteristic of malignant tumor cells describing their appearance as unlike the parent cell.

Metastasis

The process where cells from a primary tumor break off and establish a colony in another part of the body via tissue penetration, pressure, blood, or lymphatic spread.

Brachytherapy

A type of radiation therapy involving an implanted internal radiation source or ingested radioactive materials; patients with ingested materials emit radiation through bodily fluids.

Reed-Sternberg cell

The specific cell marker used to identify Hodgkin’s lymphoma during a biopsy.

Hospice care

End-of-life care intended for patients with a prognosis of $< 6\,\text{months}$ to live, requiring the cessation of curative treatments.

Steatorrhea

Fatty, foul-smelling stools, commonly associated with Cystic Fibrosis or malabsorption in Celiac Disease.

Cor pulmonale

Right-sided heart failure specifically caused by pulmonary disease, such as $COPD$.

Russell’s sign

Calluses and scars on the hand resulting from self-induced vomiting, seen in patients with bulimia nervosa.

Exophthalmos

Protruding eyes, a sign specifically associated with Graves disease (hyperthyroidism).

Addisonian crisis

Acute adrenal insufficiency characterized by a sudden drop in corticosteroid levels, causing severe hypotension, hypoglycemia, and hyperkalemia.

Induration

The area of hardness measured (in mm) $48-72\,\text{hours}$ after a Mantoux tuberculin skin test to determine a positive or negative result.

Sequestrum

Necrotic bone that separates from surrounding bone and its vasculature in chronic osteomyelitis, preventing antibiotics from reaching the diseased tissue.

Splitting

A defense mechanism where a person cannot reconcile positive and negative attributes together, resulting in black-and-white thinking.

Asterixis

A coarse hand tremor or 'hand flapping' seen in later stages of cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy.

Status epilepticus

A prolonged, uncontrollable seizure lasting $5+\,\text{minutes}$ or multiple seizures over $30\,\text{minutes}$, which is a medical emergency.

Nephrotic syndrome

An immunologic kidney disorder where glomerular permeability increases, allowing large protein molecules to pass into the urine, often resulting in foamy urine and massive edema.

Pannus

A mass of inflammatory cells that forms in the joints of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and eventually destroys bone.

Aphasia

A neurological impairment of speech and language comprehension, common in left-sided ischemic strokes.

Echolalia

Repeating words or phrases spoken by others, seen in both Autism and psychotic disorders.

Waxy flexibility

An alteration in behavior where a patient maintains a specific position for an extended period of time.

Pancrelipase

Pancreatic enzyme replacement medication that must be taken with or before every meal and snack for patients with chronic pancreatitis or Cystic Fibrosis.