Respiratory, Cardiovascular, and Abdominal Assessment Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering respiratory, cardiovascular, abdominal, and genitourinary assessments based on NURS 330 lecture notes.

Hypoxia Signs

Level of consciousness changes such as anxiety, agitation, or confusion.

Cyanosis

Unexpected skin finding characterized by a bluish hue around the lips, nail beds, and mucous membranes; may appear ashen or dusky blue in darker skin tones.

Eupnea

Normal breathing.

Pulse Oximetry Emergency

An oxygen saturation level of less than $90\%$.

Anteroposterior (AP) Diameter Ratio

The expected ratio of the chest's width to its depth, which should be $1:2$.

Barrel Chest

Hyperinflation of the lungs from aging or disease, where the ribs become horizontal.

Pectus Excavatum

Also known as funnel chest, characterized by a sunken sternum and costal cartilage.

Pectus Carinatum

Also known as pigeon chest, characterized by a protrusion of the sternum.

Cheyne-Stokes Breathing

A 'start-stop' breathing pattern that occurs when the CNS has lacked oxygen or during end-of-life.

Ataxic Breathing

Periods of apnea and very irregular breathing resulting from a brain injury.

Fremitus

Vibrations felt during palpation as the patient repeats the phrase 'ninety-nine'.

Resonance

The sound heard during percussion over normal lung tissue.

Hyperresonance

The percussion sound heard over inflated lungs, such as in patients with COPD or Asthma.

Tracheal Breath sounds

Breath sounds heard over the trachea in the anterior neck with loud intensity, high pitch, and equal duration for inspiration and expiration.

Vesicular Breath sounds

Low-pitched sounds heard over the anterior and posterior chest wall where inspiration duration is longer than expiration.

Crackles (Rales)

Adventitious breath sounds characterized by intermittent popping or crackling caused by fluid-filled alveoli.

Wheezes

Whistling, high-pitched breath sounds caused by narrowed airway passages.

Stridor

High-pitched crowing sounds indicating an upper airway obstruction or foreign body; can be heard without a stethoscope.

Surfactant

Substance present in utero at $32$ weeks to aid fetal lung development.

P Wave

EKG component representing the depolarization of the atria, which initiates atrial contraction.

QRS Complex

EKG component representing the depolarization of the ventricles.

T Wave

EKG component representing the repolarization of the ventricles.

Cardiac Output ($CO$)

Measurement calculated by the formula $CO = SV \times HR$.

Preload

Ventricular stretch at the end of diastole, also known as left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP).

Afterload

Systemic vascular resistance ($SVR$), or the resistance the heart must face to push blood out into the body.

Bruit

An auscultated swishing sound in the carotid artery indicative of cardiac disease or stenosis.

Thrill

A palpated vibration in the carotid artery indicative of cardiac disease or stenosis.

S1 Heart Sound

The 'lub' sound caused by the closing of the mitral and tricuspid valves.

S2 Heart Sound

The 'dub' sound caused by the closing of the aortic and pulmonic valves.

Pitting Edema

Indication of heart disease or fluid retention where a 'pit' or indentation remains after pressure is applied to the skin.

Ductus Venosus

A fetal shunt that bypasses the liver and connects the umbilical vein to the inferior vena cava.

Foramen Ovale

A fetal shunt consisting of an opening between the right and left atria.

Ductus Arteriosus

A fetal shunt that bypasses the lungs by connecting the pulmonary artery and the aorta.

Arteriosclerosis

The process where blood vessels become rigid, common in older adults, causing a rise in systolic blood pressure.

Hematemesis

Vomiting blood; it may look like coffee grounds if exposed to gastric acid.

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing.

Icterus

Also known as jaundice, often associated with hepatitis, biliary cirrhosis, or gallstones.

Borborygmus

Hyperactive, rumbling, and growling bowel sounds.

Tympany

The expected percussion sound heard over the abdomen and gas.

Costovertebral Angle (CVA) Tenderness

Pain felt when thumping the 12th rib, indicating possible kidney inflammation or stones.

Melena

Dark and tarry stool indicating bleeding in the upper GI tract.

Hematochezia

Bright red blood in the stool, typically from the rectum, anus, or sigmoid.

Goodell’s Sign

The softening of the cervix occurring at $4$ to $6$ weeks gestation.

Chadwick’s Sign

A cyanotic appearance of the vaginal mucosa and cervix occurring at $6$ to $8$ weeks gestation.

Phimosis

A condition where the foreskin cannot be retracted over the glans of the penis.

Paraphimosis

A medical emergency where the foreskin becomes stuck behind the glans.

Hypospadias

An unexpected finding where the urethral meatus is located on the ventral side of the penis.

Cryptorchidism

The condition of having undescended testes.