CH 18 Aseptic Techniques and Clinical Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice cards focusing on medical equipment, anatomical positions, clinical procedures, and aseptic terminology based on Chapter 18 lecture notes.

C-arm

X-ray image intensifier, sometimes referred to as a fluoroscope in medical settings; uses x-rays and produces a real-time imaging that is displayed on a monitor.

Central Venous Pressure (CVP)

Pressure of blood in the thoracic vena cava, near the right atrium of the heart; reflects the amount of blood returning to the heart and the ability of the heart to pump the blood into the arterial system.

Contaminated

Presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.

Foley Catheter

Indwelling catheter retained in the bladder by a balloon inflated with air or fluid.

Isolette

Used as an incubator for premature infants; provides controlled temperature and humidity and an oxygen supply.

Lithotomy Position

Common position for surgical procedures and medical examinations involving the pelvis and lower abdomen; patient is in the dorsal decubitus position with the hips and knees flexed and the thighs abducted and externally rotated.

Manual Resuscitator

(Proprietary name Ambu bag) A hand-held device commonly used to provide positive pressure ventilation to patients who are not breathing or not breathing adequately.

Microorganisms

Microscopic organisms; those of medical interest include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.

Myelography

X-ray examination of the spinal canal; a contrast agent is injected through a needle into the space around the spinal cord to display the spinal cord, spinal canal, and nerve roots.

Pneumothorax

Accumulation of air or gas in the pleural space, which may occur spontaneously or as a result of trauma or a pathologic process.

Purulent

Consisting of or containing pus; often used with regard to drainage.

Serous

Resembling serum, having a thin watery constitution; various bodily fluids that are typically pale yellow and transparent and fill the inside of body cavities.

Sterile

Aseptic; free of living microorganisms.

Subungual

Beneath a fingernail or toenail.

Swan-Ganz Catheter

The flow-directed balloon-tipped pulmonary artery catheter used to determine hemodynamic pressures, cardiac output, and mixed venous blood sampling.

Tracheostomy

Surgical creation of an opening into the trachea through the neck to relieve upper airway obstruction and to facilitate ventilation.

Trendelenburg Position

Position in which the patient is supine on the table or bed, the head of which is tilted downward $30$ to $40$ degrees, with the feet higher than the head.

Urinary Meatus

External urethral orifice; the opening of the urethra on the body surface through which urine is discharged.

Voiding Cystourethrogram

Radiographic procedure obtained by the use of fluoroscopy and a contrast agent introduced through a catheter to obtain images before, during, and after voiding.

Angiography

Radiographic procedure used to visualize blood vessels after the introduction of contrast material; used as a diagnostic aid in conditions such as strokes and myocardial infarctions.

Arrhythmia

Any change from the normal sequence of electrical impulses of the heart, such as bradycardia, tachycardia, or fibrillation.

Arthrography

Examination of a joint using x-rays after the injection of opaque contrast material.

Aseptic

Describes a product or method that is free of microbiological organisms.

Atelectasis

Medical condition in which the lungs are not fully inflated.

Auscultation

Technical term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope, to examine the circulatory, respiratory, or gastrointestinal systems.

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

Noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, commonly found in men over the age of $50$.