Lesson 5 Key Terms

Hand Washing

the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. Should be done for at least 20 seconds.

Equipment Needed for Proper Gloving

sink, soap, antibacterial lotion, disposable paper towels, nail brush, disposable/non-sterile latex or vinyl gloves

Sterile Procedures

required before and during specific patient care activities to maintain an area free from microorganisms and to prevent infection.

Sterile gloves

free from all microorganisms. Required for any invasive procedure and when contact with any sterile site, tissue, or body cavity is expected. Help prevent surgical site infections and reduce the risk of exposure to blood and body fluid pathogens for healthcare professionals.

Emergency

any instance in which someone suddenly becomes ill or injured and required immediate attention.

Emergency Medical Care

the immediate care given to a sick or injured person

Basic Life Support

help a person who is at risk for respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, or both. Used to keep a person alive until advanced medical assistance arrives; not a substitute for a doctor's care

CPR

stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation; the primary method used to support blood flow to the heart and brain in cardiac arrest victims.

ABC's of an emergency

Airway, Breathing, Chest compressions. Focused on providing rescue breathing. Delayed chest compressions while responder opened victim's airway to administer mouth-to-mouth

CAB of emergency

Chest compressions, Airway, Breathing. Focuses on giving the victim chest compressions first and foremost. Provides rapid blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

a portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart. Shock may stop arrhythmia and allow a normal rhythm to resume following sudden cardiac arrest.

Triage

a decision-making system used by medical and emergency personnel to prioritize medical care when there are more injured people needing care than there are resources available. The goal is to care for as many patients as possible by giving medical care to the most seriously injured patients first.

Categories For Triage

patients with minor injuries who can wait for treatment; patients with such severe injuries that they require prompt treatment to survive; patients whose injuries are so severe that they probably will not survive.

Common Triage Systems

simple, advanced, telephone, face-to-face.

Simple triage and rapid treatment (START)

a system often used by emergency personnel during a mass casualty incident to quickly classify victims based on the severity of their injury. Injured are separated into four groups with colors that correspond to triage tags to indicate each victim's status - deceased (black), immediate (red), delayed (yellow), minor (green)

Advanced Triage

here, specially trained doctors, nurses, and paramedics may decide that some seriously injured people shouldn't receive advanced care because they are unlikely to survive.

Telephone triage

an assessment of the severity of a patient's medical condition over the phone.

6 Steps of Telephone Triage

Introduce yourself to the patient. Interview and assess the patient. Make a triage decision using an established protocol or guideline. Give advice to the patient or caller. Conclude the call and follow up as needed. Document the call.

Universal Medical Identification Tag

a small tag that identifies the wearer's medical condition and has the universal emergency medical identification symbol printed on it

Chronic

long and drawn out, not acute.

Insidious

hidden and not apparent, treacherous.

Urgent

a situation requiring intervention as soon as it can be arranged.

Sudden

occurs quickly and without any warning

Severe

very extensive and advanced. Requires immediate medical attention.

Life Threatening

could cause death.

Manifested

used to describe injuries or illnesses that show symptoms

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System

a network of resources that is organized to respond to an emergency.

Emergency Kit

contains all the supplies and equipment necessary to handle most common emergencies

Enhanced 911 System

automatically identifies caller's telephone number and location

Incident Report/Accident Report

detailed account of the emergency and how it was managed

Military Time

uses 4 numbers with noon expressed as 1200 and midnight as 2400

Seizures

occur when there is a sudden, abnormal burst of electrical activity in the brain. Can result from fever, head injuries, infections, brain tumors, and epilepsy. Classified by where they begin in the brain, a person's level of awareness, and the symptoms that occur.

Unknown onset seizure

when the beginning of a seizure isn't known

Generalized onset seizures

Seizures that affect both sides of the brain or groups of cells on both sides of the brain at the same time

Focal onset seizures/partial seizures

can start in one area or group of cells in one side of the brain

Diabetes Mellitus

chronic syndrome of insufficient insulin production that leads to the body's inability to metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fat

Type 1 diabetes

chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to properly control blood sugar levels. Patient must take insulin every day, because the body cannot make its own insulin.

2 more names for type 1 diabetes

insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile onset diabetes

Type 2 diabetes

the result of a problem in the way the body produces or uses insulin.

Secondary diabetes mellitus

a diabetic condition that does not result from genetics or environmental conditions. Always caused by another condition or event.

Diabetic symptoms

frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, sudden vision changes, frequent fatigue, very dry skin, sores that are slow to heal, more infections than usual

Hyperglycemia

High blood sugar. Triggered by eating too many carbs, infection, fever, emotional stress, or failing to take adequate insulin.

Diabetic coma

induced when hyperglycemia remains untreated.

Hypoglycemia

Low blood sugar. May occur from an excess amount of insulin in the body.

Insulin shock

happens when hypoglycemia remains untreated

Fainting

occurs when the blood supply to the brain decreases and causes the patient to lose consciousness

Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

happens when the blood supply to the myocardium is blocked and a part of the heart muscle dies.

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

also known as apoplexy and stroke. An acute neurological injury that interrupts the blood supply to a part of the brain and causes tissue to die.

Heat exhaustion

usually happens during heavy physical exertion. Occurs when there is dehydration, electrolyte depletion, lowered blood sugar levels, and/or lactic acid build-up

Heat stroke

a life-threatening condition that can result in brain damage and coma. Occurs when the body can no longer compensate for the rise in body temperature.

Frostbite

occurs when skin is exposed to extreme cold and the tissue is damaged.

Gangrene

death and decay of body tissue caused by loss of nerve function and blood vessel damage.

Hypothermia

low body temperature.

Bleeding

loss of blood from the body

Hemorrhage

excessive, uncontrolled bleeding.

Internal Bleeding

bleeding that occurs inside the body. Hard to detect by simple observation. Can only be treated by surgery.

Vaginal Bleeding

refers to bleeding in females that is either a physiologic response during menstruation or caused by hormonal or organic problems of the reproductive system.

Nosebleed (epistaxis)

bleeding of the nose that usually follows injury, either external or internal.

Poison

a substance that causes injury, illness, or death. Can be eaten, drunk, inhaled, injected, or absorbed through the skin

Choking

occurs when food, toys, or any small object gets caught in the windpipe

Artificial Breathing

a technique where you blow air into the victim's mouth to breathe for the victim until he can breathe on his own again

Shock

an immediate response by the body tissues when they don't receive enough oxygen-rich blood

Hypovolemic shock

caused by loss of blood or other body fluids. Also called hemorrhagic shock if it is caused by blood loss

Cardiogenic shock

the most extreme form of heart failure. Occurs when the function of the left ventricle is so compromised that the heart can no longer adequately pump blood to body tissues.

Neurogenic shock

caused by a dysfunction of the nervous system.

Anaphylactic shock

an acute generalized reaction that occurs within minutes to hours after the body has been exposed to a foreign substance to which it is severely allergic

Septic shock

caused by a generalized infection of the blood stream.

Direct transmission

requires direct contact with another person, including shaking hands, sexual contact, direct contact with blood or body fluids, inhaling contaminated air droplets, or kissing.

Indirect transmission

refers to situations where a susceptible person is infected from contact with a contaminated source.