Unit 2 Test All VOCAB TERMS (copy)

Angiography

Radiographic procedure used to visualize blood vessels after the introduction of contrast material; used as a diagnostic aid in conditions such as cerebrovascular attacks (strokes) and myocardial infarctions

Arrhythmia

Any change from the normal sequence of electrical impulses of the heart, such as bradycardia (slow), tachycardia (fast), atrial/ventricular fibrillation, or rhythm disorders

Arthrography

Examination of a joint using x-rays after the injection of opaque contrast material

Aseptic

Describes a product or method that is free of microbiological organisms

Atelectasis

Medical condition in which the lungs are not fully inflated

Auscultation

Technical term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope; based on the Latin verb auscultare (“to listen”); performed for the purposes of examining the circulatory system and respiratory system (heart sounds and breath sounds), as well as the gastrointestinal system (bowel sounds)

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, commonly found in men over the age of 50

C-arm

X-ray image intensifier, sometimes referred to as a fluoroscope in medical settings; a highly complex piece of equipment that uses x-rays and produces a real-time imaging that is displayed on a monitor

Central Venous Pressure (CVP)

Pressure of blood in the thoracic vena cava, near the right atrium of the heart; reflects the amount of blood returning to the heart and the ability of the heart to pump the blood into the arterial system

Contaminated

Presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface

Foley Catheter

Indwelling catheter retained in the bladder by a balloon inflated with air or fluid

Isolette

Used as an incubator for premature infants; provides controlled temperature and humidity and an oxygen supply

Lithotomy Position

Common position for surgical procedures and medical examinations involving the pelvis and lower abdomen; patient is in the dorsal decubitus position with the hips and knees flexed and the thighs abducted and externally rotated; also called dorsosacral position

Manual Resuscitator

(Proprietary name Ambu bag) is a hand-held device commonly used to provide positive pressure ventilation to patients who are not breathing or not breathing adequately

Microorganisms

Microscopic organisms; those of medical interest include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa

Myelography

X-ray examination of the spinal canal; a contrast agent is injected through a needle into the space around the spinal cord to display the spinal cord, spinal canal, and nerve roots on an x-ray; purpose of a myelogram is to evaluate the spinal cord and/or nerve roots for suspected compression

Pneumothorax

Accumulation of air or gas in the pleural space, which may occur spontaneously or as a result of trauma or a pathologic process or which may be introduced deliberately

Purulent

Consisting of or containing pus. The term purulent is often used with regard to drainage

Serous

Resembling serum, having a thin watery constitution; various bodily fluids that are typically pale yellow and transparent and of a benign nature that fill the inside of body cavities

Sterile

Aseptic; free of living microorganisms

Subungual

Beneath a fingernail or toenail

Swan-Ganz Catheter

The flow-directed balloon-tipped pulmonary artery catheter (also known as the Swan-Ganz or right heart catheter) has been in clinical use for more than 40 years. Initially developed for the management of acute myocardial infarction, the Swan-Ganz catheter provides right heart diagnostic information to rapidly determine hemodynamic pressures, cardiac output, and mixed venous blood sampling.

Tracheostomy

Surgical creation of an opening into the trachea through the neck; also used to refer to the creation of an opening in the anterior trachea for insertion of a tube to relieve upper airway obstruction and to facilitate ventilation

Trendelenburg Position

Position in which the patient is supine on the table or bed, the head of which is tilted downward 30 to 40 degrees, with the feet higher than the head; also, supine position with the patient inclined at an angle of 45 degrees so that the pelvis is higher than the head

Urinary Meatus

External urethral orifice; the opening of the urethra on the body surface through which urine is discharged

Voiding Cystourethrogram

Radiographic procedure obtained by the use of fluoroscopy and a contrast agent introduced through a catheter in the bladder; radiographic images are obtained before, during, and after voiding of the bladder, urethra, and kidneys

Asepsis

Freedom from infection

Bacteria

Prokaryotic, ubiquitous, single-celled organisms

Blood-Borne Pathogens

Disease-causing microorganisms that may be present in human blood

Chemotherapy

Treatment of disease by chemical agents

Cyst

Stage in the life cycle of certain parasites during which they are enclosed in a protective wall

Dimorphic

Occurring in two distinct forms

Diseases

Deviations from or interruptions of the normal structure or function of any part, organ, or system (or combination thereof) of the body that are exhibited by a characteristic set of symptoms and signs and whose cause, pathologic mechanism, and prognosis may be known or unknown

Disinfectants

Chemicals used to free an environment from pathogenic organisms or to render such organisms inert, especially as applied to the treatment of inanimate materials to reduce or eliminate infectious organisms

Eukaryotes

Organisms whose cells have a true nucleus

Flora

Microbial community found on or in a healthy person

Fomite

An object such as a book, wooden object, or article of clothing that is not in itself harmful but is able to harbor pathogenic microorganisms and thus may serve as an agent of transmission of an infection

Fungi

General term used to denote a group of eukaryotic protists—including mushrooms, yeasts, rusts, molds, and smuts—that are characterized by the absence of chlorophyll and by the presence of a rigid cell wall

Healthcare-Associated Infection

Infection that patients acquire while they are receiving treatment for another healthcare issue

Host

An animal or plant that harbors or nourishes another organism

Iatrogenic

Resulting from the activities of physicians

Immunity

Security against a particular disease

Infection

Invasion and multiplication of microorganisms in body tissues that may be clinically inapparent or may result in local cellular injury as a result of competitive metabolism, toxins, intracellular replication, or antigen–antibody response

Medical Asepsis

Reduction in numbers of infectious agents, which, in turn, decreases the probability of infection but does not necessarily reduce it to zero

Nosocomial

Pertaining to or originating in the hospital; said of an infection not present or incubating before admittance to the hospital but generally developing 72 hours after admittance

Pathogens

Disease-producing microorganisms

Prokaryotes

Cellular organisms that lack a true nucleus

Protozoa

A subkingdom comprising the simplest organisms of the animal kingdom, consisting of unicellular organisms ranging in size from submicroscopic to macroscopic; most being free-living but some having commensalistic, mutualistic, or parasitic existences

Reservoir

Alternative or passive host or carrier that harbors pathogenic organisms, without injury to itself, and serves as a source from which other individuals can be infected

Standard Precautions

Precautions to prevent the transmission of disease by body fluids and substances

Sterilization

Complete destruction or elimination of all living microorganisms accomplished by physical methods (dry or moist heat), chemical agents (ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, alcohol), radiation (ultraviolet, cathode), or mechanical methods (filtration)

Surgical Asepsis

Procedure used to prevent contamination by microbes and endospores before, during, or after surgery using sterile technique

Vaccine

Suspension of attenuated or killed microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, or rickettsiae) administered for the prevention, improvement, or treatment of infectious disease

Vector

A carrier, especially an animal (usually an arthropod), that transfers an infective agent from one host to another

Virion

Complete viral particle found extracellularly and capable of surviving in crystalline form and infecting a living cell; comprises the nucleoid (genetic material) and the capsid; also called a viral particle

Viruses

Any of a group of minute infectious agents not resolved in the light microscope, with certain exceptions (e.g., poxvirus), and characterized by a lack of independent metabolism as well as the ability to replicate only within living host cells

Auscultation

Is listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope, such as heart, lungs, and the gastrointestinal system

Barium

Bulky, fine white powder, without odor or taste and free from grittiness; used as a contrast medium in radiography of the digestive tract

Bedpan

Vessel for receiving the urinary and fecal discharges of a patient unable to leave their bed

Colitis

Inflammation of the lining of the colon

Colonoscopy

Endoscopic examination of the large bowel and the distal part of the small bowel with a charge-coupled device camera or a fiberoptic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. Biopsies can be performed during the procedure. Excellent method to identify small polyps or masses

Colostomy

Surgical creation of an opening between the colon and the surface of the body; also used to refer to the opening, or stoma, that is created

Defecation

Evacuation of fecal material from the intestines

Emesis Basin

Kidney-shaped vessel for the collection of vomitus

Enema

Liquid injected or to be injected into the rectum

Enterostomal Therapist

Health professional (usually a nurse) with special training and certification in the care of ostomies and related concerns

Flatus

Gas or air evacuated through the anus

Fowler’s Position

Position in which the patient’s head is raised 18 or 20 inches above the flat position; the knees are also raised

Hydration

Term used to indicate that a liquid substance contains water

Loopogram

The radiographic evaluation of the small and large bowel that has been connected to the skin surface as a substitute for the urinary bladder with an ostomy

Low-Residue Diet

Diet that gives the least possible fecal residue, such as gelatin, sucrose, dextrose, broth, and rice

Lumen

Cavity or channel within a tube or tubular organ (plural, lumina)

Nasogastric Tubes (NG)

Tubes of soft rubber or plastic inserted through a nostril and into the stomach; for instilling liquid foods or other substances or for withdrawing gastric contents

Ostomate

One who has undergone enterostomy or ureterostomy

Perineum

Region between the thighs, bound in the male by the scrotum and anus and in the female by the vulva and anus

Purgation

Catharsis; relief of fecal matter affected by a cathartic

Sigmoidoscopy

Procedure used to see inside the sigmoid colon and rectum with a flexible tube that has a camera on the end (sigmoidoscope) and is placed through the anus

Sims’ Position

Position in which the patient lies on the left side with the right knee and thigh flexed and the left arm parallel along the back

Stoma

Opening established in the abdominal wall by colostomy, ileostomy, and so forth

Urinal

Vessel or other receptacle for urine (male and female types)

Virtual Colonoscopy

It is performed on a multi-slice computed tomography scanner that takes up to 600 two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of the colon in approximately 30 seconds

Viscosity

Physical property of liquids that determines the internal resistance to shear forces

Aura

Subjective sensation or motor phenomenon that precedes and marks the onset of a paroxysmal attack, such as an epileptic attack

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)

Device used for application of external electrical shock to restore normal cardiac rhythm and rate

Cardiac Arrest

Sudden stoppage of cardiac output and effective circulation

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

Artificial substitution of heart and lung action as indicated for cardiac arrest or apparent sudden death resulting from electric shock, drowning, respiratory arrest, and other causes

Cerebrovascular Accident (stroke/brain attack)

Condition with sudden onset caused by acute vascular lesions of the brain; often followed by permanent neurologic damage

Claustraphobia

An extreme fear of enclosed or tight spaces

Emergency

Unexpected or sudden occasion; an urgent or pressing need

Epistaxis

Nosebleed; hemorrhage from the nose

Erythema

Redness of the skin; typically caused by irritation or injury

FAST scan

Acronym for Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma; a bedside sonography exam used to assess trauma patients for internal bleeding

Hemorrhage

Escape of blood from the vessels; bleeding

Hyperglycemia

Abnormally increased concentration of glucose in the blood

Hypoglycemia

Abnormally diminished concentration of glucose in the blood

Lethargy

Abnormal drowsiness or stupor; a condition of indifference

Nausea

Unpleasant sensation, vaguely referred to the epigastrium and abdomen and often culminating in vomiting

Pallor

Paleness; absence of skin coloration

Shock

Condition of profound hemodynamic and metabolic disturbance characterized by failure of the circulatory system to maintain adequate perfusion of vital organs

Syncope

Temporary suspension of consciousness as a result of generalized cerebral ischemia; faint or swoon