Anthes, Taylor- 8th period- Med Term Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering medical term word building, pronunciation, disease classifications, clinical documentation rules, anatomical planes, body cavities, and patient positions.

Root Word

The core, foundational element of a medical word that provides its primary meaning, most often indicating a specific body part, organ, or tissue.

Combining Vowel

A connecting vowel, typically an "o," used to join a root word to another root or suffix without altering or adding meaning, primarily to facilitate pronunciation.

Combining Form

The structural combination of a root word linked with a combining vowel, represented with a slash (such as hepat/o).

Prefix

A letter or group of letters affixed to the beginning of a root word that functions like an adjective to alter the meaning by describing number, quantity, location, position, direction, speed, or status.

Suffix

A letter or group of letters attached to the end of a root word that modifies its meaning by indicating a surgical procedure, medical condition, disease process, diagnostic test, or general status.

Macron

A diacritical mark consisting of a horizontal line placed above a vowel indicating that it is pronounced with a long vowel sound.

Breve

A diacritical mark consisting of a curved symbol placed over a vowel indicating that it is pronounced with a short vowel sound.

Diphthong

A combination of two vowels pronounced together to produce a single blended sound, common in medical roots derived from Greek and Latin.

Medical Etymology

The study of the origin, historical evolution, and linguistic background of medical words and terminology, largely originating from Greek and Latin.

Medical Eponym

A disease, syndrome, anatomical landmark, or surgical instrument named after a person, typically the physician or researcher who first identified it or a notable patient.

Acute

Describing a disease or condition that begins suddenly and resolves relatively quickly.

Chronic

Describing an illness or condition that develops gradually and persists over a long duration of 3 months or longer.

Autoimmune

A condition occurring when the body's immune system mistakenly targets, attacks, and damages its own healthy tissues and cells.

Convalescence

The gradual transitional phase of healing, recuperation, and recovery following a significant illness, injury, or surgical intervention.

Endemic

A disease or condition that is regularly found and continuously maintained within a specific geographic territory or designated population group.

Epidemic

A sudden, widespread outbreak characterized by a notable increase in the incidence of a disease above baseline levels within a population or region.

Endogenous

Originating, synthesized, or produced by factors originating from within the organism or cell.

Exogenous

Caused by, acquired from, or originating from external factors outside of the organism.

Benign

A non-cancerous, localized, and non-invasive growth that does not metastasize to distant body structures.

Malignant

A cancerous cellular growth or disease characterized by invasiveness and the potential to spread or metastasize.

Inspection

The clinical assessment technique consisting of visual examination of the body to evaluate symmetry, surface features, posture, coloring, and physical abnormalities.

Auscultation

The clinical assessment technique of listening to internal physiological sounds produced by organs such as the heart, lungs, or intestines, typically via a stethoscope.

Palpation

The clinical physical examination technique of using hands and fingers to feel anatomical structures to determine texture, size, temperature, tenderness, or swelling.

Percussion

The diagnostic examination technique of tapping body surfaces to elicit sounds or vibrations to determine the density and boundaries of underlying tissues.

Olfaction

The diagnostic use of the sense of smell to identify distinct odors linked to specific clinical conditions or pathogens.

Signs

Objective clinical indicators, findings, and measurements directly evaluated and recorded by healthcare professionals, such as vital signs, visible rashes, or imaging results.

Symptoms

Subjective manifestations and experiences reported by the patient that cannot be objectively viewed or quantified by healthcare professionals, such as nausea or pain.

Military Time

A 24-hour timekeeping system that utilizes four consecutive digits without colons or AM/PM labels to eliminate documentation ambiguity in healthcare settings.

The Joint Commission (TJC)

A regulatory agency that accredits and surveys healthcare organizations across the United States to ensure compliance with quality of care and patient safety benchmarks.

TJC "Do Not Use" List

A mandated set of confusing, error-prone abbreviations, symbols, and dose notations (including U, IU, Q.D., Q.O.D., and MS/MSO4/MgSO4) prohibited in patient medical records.

Trailing Zero (X.0)

An unsafe medication dose format with a zero written after a decimal point for whole numbers, prohibited because an overlooked decimal can trigger a tenfold overdose.

Leading Zero (0.X)

A required medication documentation standard requiring a zero preceding a decimal point for values less than one to ensure the decimal point is readily visible.

-centesis

A surgical suffix denoting a needle puncture into a body cavity or organ performed to aspirate and remove fluid.

-desis

A surgical suffix indicating surgical fixation, stabilization, or fusion of an anatomical structure, such as a joint.

-ectomy

A surgical suffix meaning the complete surgical excision or operative removal of an organ or tissue.

-ostomy

A surgical suffix describing the operative creation of an artificial, new opening or mouth (stoma) leading to the outside or another organ.

-otomy

A surgical suffix designating an operative incision or the act of cutting into a specified organ or tissue.

-plasty

A surgical suffix meaning surgical repair, plastic reconstruction, or restoration of a body part.

-rrhexis

A pathological suffix denoting a rupture, tearing, or bursting of an internal organ, vessel, or tissue.

-stenosis

A medical suffix signifying an abnormal pathological narrowing or stricture of a canal, duct, or body vessel.

NPO (nil per os)

A medical order indicating that a patient is restricted from receiving food, liquids, or oral medications by mouth.

PRN (pro re nata)

A prescription instruction denoting that a medication or intervention should be administered as needed based on the patient's condition.

Standard Anatomical Position

The universal reference posture where a person stands erect facing forward with eyes open, arms resting at sides, palms supinated facing forward with thumbs pointing outward, feet flat and parallel, and in biological males, the penis erect resting against the anterior abdomen.

Cephalocaudal

A directional pattern describing anatomical orientation, growth, development, or physical evaluation that proceeds from the head downward to the feet.

Transverse Plane

An imaginary horizontal plane that divides the body or an organ into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) segments; also known as the axial or horizontal plane.

Frontal Plane

An imaginary vertical plane that divides the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions; also termed the coronal plane.

Sagittal Plane

An imaginary vertical plane oriented anteroposteriorly that partitions the body into right and left portions.

Midsagittal Plane

The vertical anatomical plane that bisects the exact midline of the body into symmetrical, equal right and left halves.

Oblique Plane

An imaginary anatomical cut or plane that traverses through the body or an organ at a slanted angle that is neither vertical nor horizontal.

Dorsal Cavity

The posterior anatomical space that encloses and shields delicate central nervous system structures, subdivided into the cranial and spinal cavities.

Ventral Cavity

The large anterior body space subdivided into the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities that houses vital visceral organs.

Mediastinum

The central compartment of the thoracic cavity situated between the lungs, containing the heart, major blood vessels, esophagus, trachea, thymus, and nerves.

Pericardial Cavity

The fluid-filled serous space surrounding the heart, situated between the visceral and parietal layers of the pericardium within the mediastinum.

Diaphragm

The dome-shaped muscular partition separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities that acts as the primary muscle driving respiration.

Lithotomy Position

A patient position where the individual lies supine with hips and knees flexed, thighs abducted, and legs elevated and supported in stirrups; commonly used in pelvic exams and childbirth.

Sim's Position

A left lateral posture where the lower arm is placed behind the patient, the upper arm is flexed, and both legs are flexed at the hips and knees with the top leg acutely bent; utilized for rectal procedures and perineal access.

Trendelenburg Position

A patient posture where the patient lies supine on a flat plane with the head of the bed angled downward 15 to 30 degrees below the level of the feet.

Reverse Trendelenburg Position

A patient posture where the patient lies supine with the head of the bed angled upward 15 to 30 degrees higher than the feet.

Semi-Fowler's Position

A clinical resting posture where the patient rests supine with the head of the bed elevated 30 to 45 degrees and legs extended.

High-Fowler's Position

A patient posture in which the head of the bed is elevated to an angle of 60 to 90 degrees with legs extended, used to relieve respiratory distress and prevent aspiration.

Orthopneic Position

A clinical position where a seated patient leans forward over an overbed table, pillows, or knees to maximize lung expansion by lowering abdominal contents away from the diaphragm.