week 3 nurs 2001 lab terminology

Addiction

A dependence on a substance or behavior by harmful physical, emotional, mental symptoms if stopped

Acute pain

Discomfort or physical distress signaling actual or potential tissue damage characterized by an unidentifiable cause, short duration, resolution with healing

Breakthrough pain

Pain that occurs when pain has previously been reduced to a tolerable level

* Often occurs when the previous dose of analgesic medication has worn off

Burn pain

Associated with burn injuries and is one of the most severe types of acute pain

* The burns inflammatory response makes the pain especially intense during manipulation of injury

Cancer pain

Usually due to tumor progression, as well as the adverse effects of treatment

Chronic pain

Pain that is ongoing for three or more months

Dependence

Develops when a patient needs a substance in order to function

FACES pain scale

Pain assessment tool

* Nonverbal patients
* Rates pain depicted through facial expressions from no pain to severe pain

Medication tolerance

Reduced reaction to a medication when it has been taken over a period of time

Pain rating scales

Assessment tools used to rate the intensity of pain and guide interventions

Pain threshold

Point at which a person feels pain in response to a stimuli

Pain tolerance

Maximum level of pain a person is willing to except

Paresthesia

Abnormal sensation; ticking or pricking

• pins and needles

Physical dependence

An adaptive state characterized by a med class-specific withdrawl syndrome induced with abrupt cessation, rapid dose reduction, or administration of an antagonist

Somatic pain

Pain that originates from bone, joints, connective tissue, muscles and skin

• Can be sharp and localized or dull and generalized

Visceral pain

Pain that originates from the thoracic, pelvic or abdominal organs and can radiate in several directions

Visual analog scale

Pain assessment tool on a linear scale that rates pain from no pain to most severe

• no numbers

Antipyretic agent

Fever reducer

Apnea

Absence of spontaneous respirations

Bradycardia

Heart rate that is less than expected range

Bradypnea

Respiratory rate is less than expected range

• Lower then 12

Cardiac output

Volume of blood elected by the heart ventricles in one minute

• Calculated by multiplying stroke volume and pulse rate of the heart

Dyspnea

Sensation of difficult or labored breathing

Eupnea

Unaffected natural breathing

fever

99.1-105.8 degrees

hypertension

BP that is above the expected reference range

hyperthermia

body temperature that is above expected the expected reference range

• >105.8

hypotension

BP that is below the expected reference range

hypothermia

body temperature that is below expected reference range

• < 97.7

korotkoff sounds

series of sounds created by the movement of blood through a partially compressed vessel during a manual blood pressure assessment

orthopnea

SOB that occurs while lying flat and is relieved by sitting or standing

orthostatic hypotension

decrease in BP that occurs upon standing, especially from a lying or sitting position

oxygen saturation

percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen

pulse deficit

difference between the apical and radial pulse rates

• difference indicates a decrease in ventricular contraction or peripheral profusion

pulse pressure

difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressures

pulse oximetry

measurement of the saturation of oxygen in the blood using a pulse oximeter

tachycardia

heart rate above the expected reference range

tachypnea

respiratory rate is greater than expected range

tidal volume

depth of the patients breathing

tympanic membrane

thin, semi-transparent membrane that seperates the auditory canal from the middle ear or tympanic membrane