Unit 2 Vocab

Borborygmus

Hyperperistalsis, or 'stomach growling'.

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing.

Guarding

Voluntary or involuntary tensing of the abdominal wall muscles to protect inflamed underlying organs from pain during pressure.

Hematochezia

Passage of bloody stool.

Hematemesis

Blood-tinged mucus secretions from the lungs.

Hyperactive bowel sounds

Increased peristaltic activity, related to diarrhea, obstruction, or digestion of a meal.

Hypoactive bowel sounds

Decreased peristaltic activity, related to constipation following abdominal surgery or with an ileus.

Melena

Stool that is dark in color & tarry.

Protuberant

Convex or bulging appearance.

Rebound tenderness

Pain when the hand is withdrawn during palpation.

Rigidity

Involuntary contraction of the abdominal musculature in response to peritoneal inflammation.

Scaphoid

Sunken appearance.

Striae

White or silver markings from stretching of the skin.

Umbilicus

Navel or 'belly button'.

Hernia

Protrusion of an organ, intestine, or fatty tissue through a weak spot or defect in the surrounding muscle wall or connective tissue.

Bowel Sounds

Gurgling noises from the intestines moving food & fluid via peristalsis.

Vascular sounds

Bruit; abnormal 'whooshing' or blowing sounds heard with a stethoscope over an artery.

Tympany

Hollow, drum-like sound heard during percussion.

Ascites

Abnormal buildup of serous fluid within the peritoneal cavity.

Abdominal distension

Visible, measured increase in abdominal girth, distinct from the subjective feeling of bloating.

Light palpation

Physical examination technique involving gentle pressure.

Deep palpation

Physical examination technique involving firm, deliberate pressure.

Accessory muscles

Muscles other than the diaphragm and intercostal muscles used for labored breathing.

Apnea

Absence of respirations or stop breathing.

Atelectasis

No air movement due to alveoli or entire lung collapse.

Barrel-chested

Equal anteroposterior (AP) to transverse diameter, often seen in patients with COPD due to lung hyperinflation.

Bradypnea

Slow breaths, less than the normal range.

Bronchial breath sounds

High-pitched hollow sounds heard over the trachea and larynx.

Bronchovesicular sounds

Mixture of low and high-pitched sounds heard over major bronchi.

Clubbing

Flat and rounded fingertips.

Crackles

Sounds like popping or crackling noises during inspiration, also called 'rales'.

Crepitus

Air trapped under the subcutaneous layer of the skin, creating a popping sensation when palpated.

Cyanosis

Bluish discoloration due to inadequate oxygenation.

Dyspnea

Difficulty breathing.

Hemoptysis

Blood-tinted mucus secretion from the lungs.

Hypercapnia

Increased carbon dioxide levels in the blood.

Hypoxemia

Decreased levels of oxygen in the blood.

Kyphosis

Outward curvature of the back.

Orthopnea

Breathlessness or feeling of shortness of breath when lying down.

Pallor

Reduced amount of oxyhemoglobin in the skin or mucous membranes, resulting in a pale color.

Rales

Another term for crackles.

Respiration

Ventilation and gas exchange at the alveolar level where blood is oxygenated and carbon dioxide is removed.

Retractions

'Pulling in' of muscles between ribs or in the neck when breathing, indicating difficulty or respiratory distress.

Stridor

High-pitched crowing sounds heard over the upper airway and larynx, indicating obstruction.

Tachypnea

Rapid and often shallow breathing, greater than the normal range according to age.

Ventilation

Mechanical movement of air into and out of the lungs.

Vesicular sounds

Low-pitched soft sounds like 'rustling leaves' heard over alveoli and small bronchi.

Wheeze

High-pitched sounds heard on expiration or inspiration associated with bronchoconstriction.

FiO2

Fraction of inspired oxygen, which should be decreased as soon as possible to prevent lung injury.

Hypoxia

Reduced level of tissue oxygenation.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Characterized by repeated occurrences of complete or partial obstructions of the upper airway during sleep.

PaO2

Partial pressure of oxygen in arteries.

SpO2

Saturation of hemoglobin in the blood.

Adventitious sounds

Abnormal breath sounds heard during lung auscultation that are not normally present.

Cough/deep breathe

Protective reflex involving deep inhalation, glottis closure, and rapid expulsion of air to clear airways.

Incentive spirometer

Handheld medical device used to promote deep breathing, improve lung capacity, and prevent pulmonary complications.

Peak flow

Measurement of how fast and how much a person can blow air out of their lungs.

Pulse oximetry

Non-invasive, painless, and rapid medical technique to monitor oxygen saturation levels.

Nasal cannula

Lightweight, flexible medical device used to deliver supplemental oxygen.

Simple face mask

Disposable device that covers a patient's nose and mouth to deliver supplemental oxygen.

Venturi mask

High-flow medical oxygen delivery device that provides specific concentrations of oxygen.

Non-rebreather mask

Non-invasive emergency medical device designed to deliver high concentration oxygen for patients in acute distress.

Pleural friction rub

Abnormal, gnawing, or creaking sounds heard through a stethoscope during inhalation and exhalation.

Percussion

Diagnostic technique involving tapping on the body to assess condition.

Auscultation

Listening to internal body sounds.

Symmetric expansion

Equal and simultaneous outward movement of both sides of the chest wall.

Tactile fremitus

Palpable vibration felt on a patient's chest wall as they speak.

Diastole

Phase between contraction of the heart and ventricles filling with blood.

Diastolic blood pressure

Resting pressure of blood on the arteries between each cardiac contraction.

Hypertension

Elevated blood pressure (over 130/80).

Hypotension

Decreased blood pressure (under 90/60).

Korotkoff sounds

Audible sounds of blood pressure.

Orthostatic hypotension

Decrease in blood pressure within 3 minutes of standing to sitting/tiring position (20 systolic or 10 diastolic).

Sphygmomanometer

Blood pressure cuff.

Systole

Phase of the heartbeat when the left ventricle contracts and pumps blood into arteries.

Systolic blood pressure

Maximum pressure of blood on arteries during contraction of left ventricle.

Hyperthermia

Abnormally high body temperature (>100.4°F).

Hypothermia

Dangerously low body temperature (<95°F).

Sinus bradycardia

Resting heart rate below 60 bpm.

Sinus tachycardia

Resting heart rate over 100 bpm.

Bounding pulse

Unusually strong, forceful, rapid heartbeat felt in artery.

Thready pulse

Weak, fine, barely palpable pulse.

Pulse pressure

Force of your arteries with each heartbeat.

Pulse deficit

Apical pulse is faster than radial pulse.

Stethoscope

Tool used for auscultation with a dual-sided chest piece

Doppler device

Non-invasive device to measure blood flow speed and direction through vessels.

Bradypnea

Abnormally slow breathing (4-12 breaths per minute).

Tachypnea

Rapid, shallow breathing (over 20 breaths per minute).

Cheyne-stokes

Abnormal breathing cycles of increasing then decreasing depth.

Kussmaul respirations

Deep, rapid, and labored breathing pattern.

Brachial pulse

Pulsation of blood felt in the brachial artery (near elbow crease).

Radial pulse

Pulsation of blood felt in the radial artery (at the wrist, on thumb side).

Atrial fibrillation

Irregular heartbeat, fast, and increases risk of heart attack/stroke.

Blanching

Whiteness when pressure is placed on tissue or nail bed.

Bruit

Swishing sound when auscultating the carotid artery.

Capillary refill

Time it takes for color to return after blanching.

Click

Clicking sound heard on auscultation of the precordium.

Cyanosis

Bluish discoloration indicating decreased perfusion and oxygenation.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Blood clot formed in a vein deep in the body.

Ductus arteriosus

Shunt connecting the pulmonary artery and aorta in a developing fetus.