State Exam Nursing Study Flashcards

Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS)

A endocrine mechanism triggered by a drop in blood pressure, causing kidney cells to release renin, which converts liver angiotensinogen into angiotensin 1. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) then converts angiotensin 1 to angiotensin 2, causing blood vessel constriction and increased blood volume.

Left-sided Heart Failure

A form of congestive heart failure that causes fluid to back up into the lungs, presenting with dyspnoea, rales, orthopnoea, weakness, nocturia, increased heart rate, a nagging cough, and weight gain.

Right-sided Heart Failure

A form of congestive heart failure that causes fluid to back up into the peripheral systemic circulation, causing an enlarged liver, swelling in hands and legs, weight gain, peripheral oedema, distended neck veins, lethargy, irregular heart rate, and nocturia.

Myocardial Infarction

A medical emergency occurring when blood flow in one or more coronary arteries is blocked by plaque or thrombus, leading to ischemic cardiac muscle injury evidenced on ECG by hyperacute T waves, ST-segment elevation, and pathologic Q waves, alongside elevated serum Troponin T.

Stable Angina

Ischemic chest pain lasting $5\text{--}15\text{ minutes}$ that is typically triggered by exertion or stress and relieved by rest or glyceryl trinitrate (GTN).

Relative Hypovolemic Shock

A state of decreased tissue perfusion caused by an internal fluid shift from the intravascular space into interstitial spaces, seen in internal bleeding, third-spacing from severe burns, long-bone fractures, or massive vasodilation.

Absolute Hypovolemic Shock

A state of severe circulatory volume depletion resulting from external fluid loss, such as massive hemorrhage from trauma or surgery, or excessive GI and integumentary fluid losses (vomiting, diarrhoea, sweating).

Anaphylactic Shock

A severe Type I hypersensitivity reaction initiated when an allergen binds to IgE antibodies on mast cells and basophils, causing a massive, system-wide release of histamine that leads to vasodilation, bronchoconstriction, and depleted intravascular volume.

Sepsis

An overwhelming, life-threatening systemic response to infection characterized by systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), progressing from a warm compensatory phase to a cold uncompensated septic shock phase with severe hypotension and elevated serum lactate ($>2\text{--}4\text{ mmol/L}$).

Asthma

A chronic inflammatory respiratory disease characterized by three pathological stages: smooth muscle bronchoconstriction, mucosal airway thickening and inflammation, and excessive mucus swelling and hypersecretion.

Pneumonia

An infection of the lung parenchyma caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi that leads to alveolar inflammation and accumulation of fluid or pus, impairing gas exchange.

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

A clinical neurological scoring system evaluating depth of impaired consciousness based on three responses: Eye opening (1–4), Verbal response (1–5), and Best motor response (1–6).

Guillain-Barré Syndrome

An autoimmune peripheral nerve disorder in which the immune system attacks myelin sheaths following an infection, causing ascending sensory loss, muscle weakness, paralysis, and autonomic dysfunction.

Multiple Sclerosis

An autoimmune neurodegenerative condition of the central nervous system where white blood cells breach the blood-brain barrier to destroy myelin sheaths and nerve fibers, creating scarred lesion tissue (sclerosis) that interrupts nerve impulse transmission.

Neurogenic Shock

A form of distributive shock resulting from spinal cord or central nervous system trauma that causes loss of sympathetic tone, leading to severe hypotension, bradycardia, poikilothermia, and impaired tissue perfusion.

Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD)

A digestive condition where abnormal reflux of acidic stomach contents enters the oesophagus due to lower oesophageal sphincter incompetence, resulting in heartburn, mucosal inflammation, and risk of ulceration.

Compartment Syndrome

A surgical emergency where elevated pressure within an enclosed muscular fascia compartment restricts blood flow, causing severe pain out of proportion to injury, tissue ischemia, and potential irreversible neurovascular damage within $4\text{--}6\text{ hours}$.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

An autoimmune disease where T cells destroy insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells in the islets of Langerhans, resulting in absolute insulin deficiency, polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, and susceptibility to ketoacidosis.