ECTSI 13th Edition Vocab - Chapter 25 - Bleeding

Aorta

The main artery that receives blood from the left ventricle and delivers it to all the other arteries that carry blood to the tissues of the body.

Arterioles

The smallest branches of arteries leading to the vast network of capillaries.

Artery

A blood vessel, consisting of three layers of tissue and smooth muscle, that carries blood away from the heart.

Capillaries

The small blood vessels that connect arterioles and venules; various substances pass through capillary walls, into and out of the interstitial fluid, and then on to the cells.

Coagulation

The formation of clots to plug openings in injured blood vessels and stop blood flow.

Contusion

A bruise from an injury that causes bleeding beneath the skin without breaking the skin; also see ecchymosis.

Ecchymosis

A buildup of blood beneath the skin that produces a characteristic blue or black discoloration as the result of an injury; also see contusion.

Epistaxis

A nosebleed.

Hematemesis

The vomiting of blood.

Hematoma

A mass of blood that has collected within damaged tissue beneath the skin or in a body cavity.

Hematuria

Blood in the urine.

Hemophilia

A hereditary condition in which the patient lacks one or more of the blood's normal clotting factors.

Hemoptysis

The coughing up of blood.

Hemorrhage

Bleeding.

Hemostatic Dressing

A dressing impregnated with a chemical compound that slows or stops bleeding by assisting with clot formation.

Hypoperfusion

A condition in which the circulatory system fails to provide sufficient circulation to maintain normal cellular functions; also called shock.

Hypovolemic Shock

A condition in which low blood volume, due to massive internal or external bleeding or extensive loss of body water, results in inadequate perfusion.

Junctional Tourniquet

A device that provides proximal compression of severe bleeding near the axial or inguinal junction with the torso.

Melena

Dark, foul-smelling, tarry stool containing digested blood.

Open-Book Pelvic Fracture

A life-threatening fracture of the pelvis caused by a force that displaces one or both sides of the pelvis laterally and posteriorly.

Pelvic Binder

A device to splint the bony pelvis to reduce hemorrhage from bone ends, venous disruption, and pain.

Perfusion

The circulation of blood within an organ or tissue in adequate amounts to meet the current needs of the cells.

Shock

A condition in which the circulatory system fails to provide sufficient circulation to maintain normal cellular functions; also called hypoperfusion.

Tourniquet

The bleeding control method used when a wound continues to bleed despite the use of direct pressure; useful if a patient is bleeding severely from a partial or complete amputation.

Vasoconstriction

The narrowing of a blood vessel, such as with hypoperfusion or cold extremities.

Veins

The blood vessels that carry blood from the tissues to the heart.

Venules

Very small, thin-walled blood vessels.