NURS 2016: Care of Individuals Experiencing a Health Challenge (Weeks 1 to 4)

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering core medical-surgical nursing concepts from Lectures 1 through 4: Gas Exchange, Perfusion, Cognition, and Elimination.

Acute Illness

A disease characterized by a rapid onset and short duration that is typically self-limiting, responds readily to treatment, has infrequent complications, and allows the patient to return to their previous level of functioning.

Chronic Illness

A prolonged disease that does not resolve spontaneously, is rarely cured completely, and involves permanent impairments or deviations from normal, irreversible pathological changes, residual disability, and the need for long-term medical or nursing management.

Self-Management

The daily activities and tasks an individual undertakes to keep a chronic illness under control, minimize its impact on physical health and functioning, and cope with psychosocial sequelae, founded on patient empowerment and treatment autonomy.

Bicarbonate Buffer System Equation

The physiological acid-base equilibrium represented by $\text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightleftharpoons \text{H}_2\text{CO}_3 \rightleftharpoons \text{HCO}_3^- + \text{H}^+$, where dissolved carbon dioxide and water form carbonic acid via carbonic anhydrase, which dissociates into bicarbonate and free hydrogen ions.

Tension Pneumothorax

A life-threatening thoracic emergency where air progressively enters the pleural space without an escape route, increasing intrapleural pressure, collapsing the ipsilateral lung, shifting the mediastinum and trachea to the unaffected side, and causing severe cardiovascular collapse.

Needle Chest Decompression

An emergency medical procedure for relieving a tension pneumothorax by inserting a large-bore needle into the second intercostal space along the midclavicular line on the affected side.

Bronchiectasis

A permanent, abnormal dilation of medium- to large-sized bronchi caused by the destruction of elastic and muscular bronchial wall structures, characterized clinically by a persistent cough producing greater than $20\,\text{mL}$ of purulent sputum per day.

Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

The obstruction of one or more pulmonary arteries by a mobile thrombus (most commonly originating from deep vein thrombosis in the lower extremities), fat or air embolus, or tumour tissue, impeding alveolar perfusion.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

A preventable and progressive respiratory condition characterized by persistent airflow limitation and chronic airway inflammation, predominantly caused by long-term exposure to tobacco smoke and noxious particles.

Cor Pulmonale

Enlargement and hypertrophy of the right ventricle of the heart, with or without resultant heart failure, caused by pulmonary hypertension secondary to chronic respiratory disorders such as COPD.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

An autosomal recessive, multisystem exocrine gland disorder characterized by thick, viscous mucus secretions causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, and abnormally high concentrations of sodium and chloride in sweat.

5-Lead ECG Electrode Placement

A standard clinical cardiac monitoring configuration placed as: Right Arm (white), Right Leg (green), Left Arm (black), Left Leg (red), and $\text{V}_1$ / chest lead (brown), commonly remembered using color mnemonics such as 'clouds over grass' and 'smoke over fire'.

Cardiac Troponins (cTnI and cTnT)

Highly sensitive myocardial contractile proteins released into circulation following myocardial injury as early as $3\,\text{hours}$; Cardiac Troponin I ($<0.03\,\text{ng/mL}$) remains elevated for $7\text{--}10\,\text{days}$, while Cardiac Troponin T ($<0.1\,\text{ng/mL}$) remains elevated for $10\text{--}14\,\text{days}$.

Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB)

A cardiac enzyme specific to myocardial cells that rises within $3\text{--}6\,\text{hours}$ following myocardial infarction, reaches peak elevation in $12\text{--}24\,\text{hours}$, and returns to normal baseline levels within $2\,\text{days}$.

Chronic Stable Angina

Predictable episodic chest pain or discomfort lasting $5\text{--}15\,\text{minutes}$ provoked by physical exertion or stress that is relieved by rest or sublingual nitroglycerin.

Unstable Angina

An acute coronary syndrome characterized by new-onset chest pain, pain occurring at rest or with minimal exertion, or pre-existing stable angina that increases abruptly in severity, duration, or frequency and is refractory to nitroglycerin.

Left-Sided Heart Failure

Cardiac dysfunction characterized by impaired left ventricular emptying and elevated pulmonary venous pressures, clinically presenting with pulmonary congestion, crackles, exertional dyspnea, orthopnea, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.

Right-Sided Heart Failure

Cardiac dysfunction characterized by impaired right ventricular emptying and systemic venous congestion, clinically manifesting with dependent peripheral edema, jugular venous distension ($>3\,\text{cm}$), hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and ascites.

Primary (Essential) Hypertension

A sustained elevation of systemic arterial blood pressure without an identifiable secondary cause, accounting for the vast majority of all hypertension cases and resulting from multifaceted interactions between genetics and environment.

Secondary Hypertension

Elevated systemic arterial blood pressure attributed to an exact, identifiable, and often correctable underlying cause, such as renal artery stenosis, endocrine disease, aortic coarctation, sleep apnea, or specific medications.

Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change)

A health behavioral framework detailing six progressive steps: Precontemplation (no intent within 6 months), Contemplation (intending to change within 6 months), Preparation (actions within 30 days), Action (behavior changed under 6 months), Maintenance (sustained over 6 months), and Termination.

MONA Protocol

An immediate acute medical management acronym for suspected myocardial infarction comprising Morphine, Oxygen, Nitroglycerin, and Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA).

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

A transient episode of focal neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia without acute brain tissue infarction, with clinical symptoms typically resolving in less than $1\,\text{hour}$.

Thrombotic Stroke

The most common ischemic stroke subtype, resulting from the formation of a blood clot within an already narrowed, atherosclerotic cerebral artery, leading to progressive lumen occlusion and cerebral infarction.

Embolic Stroke

An ischemic stroke caused by a thrombus, plaque, or foreign debris that travels through the systemic bloodstream and occludes a cerebral artery too narrow to allow its passage, typically presenting with an abrupt onset unrelated to rest.

Hemispheric Stroke Manifestations

Left-brain stroke presents with right-sided hemiplegia, language deficits (aphasia), and cautious or slow behavior; right-brain stroke presents with left-sided hemiplegia, spatial-perceptual deficits, left-sided neglect, and impulsive behavior.

Expressive Aphasia (Broca's Aphasia)

A communication disorder resulting from damage to Broca's area in the dominant frontal lobe, wherein speech comprehension remains intact but verbal expression is halting, nonfluent, and often limited to very few words.

Receptive Aphasia (Wernicke's Aphasia)

A communication impairment localized to Wernicke's area in the dominant temporal lobe, characterized by fluent but meaningless or ungrammatical speech output coupled with severely impaired comprehension of spoken and written language.

Dysarthria

A motor speech impairment affecting the muscles responsible for articulation, phonation, and pronunciation without disrupting language comprehension or sentence formulation.

Delirium

An acute, fluctuating decline in attention, awareness, and baseline cognition that develops rapidly over hours to days and is provoked by acute medical illnesses, environmental changes, or medications.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

A progressive neurodegenerative dementia caused by abnormal alpha-synuclein protein aggregates (Lewy bodies) in the brain, characterized by fluctuating cognitive function, recurrent detailed visual hallucinations, parkinsonian movement abnormalities, and severe neuroleptic sensitivity.

PAINAD Scale (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia)

A five-item behavioral pain assessment instrument for individuals with advanced, nonverbal dementia that scores Breathing, Negative Vocalization, Facial Expression, Body Language, and Consolability on a scale from $0$ to $2$ (total score $0\text{--}10$).

SIGECAPS Mnemonic

A clinical diagnostic mnemonic for depression screening evaluating: Sleep disorder, Interest deficit (anhedonia), Guilt, Energy deficit, Concentration deficit, Appetite changes, Psychomotor agitation/retardation, and Suicidality.

Hiatal Hernia

A structural defect in which a portion of the stomach herniates upward into the thoracic cavity through the diaphragmatic hiatus, classified primarily into sliding hernias (most common) and paraesophageal (rolling) hernias.

Bilirubin Metabolism Pathway

The physiological conversion of insoluble unconjugated bilirubin bound to albumin into water-soluble conjugated bilirubin via glucuronic acid in hepatocytes, followed by biliary excretion into intestines and bacterial reduction to urobilinogen excreted in stool and urine.

Cholelithiasis

The formation or presence of calculi (gallstones) within the gallbladder, most frequently composed primarily of cholesterol due to metabolic imbalances in bile composition.

Cholecystitis

Inflammation of the gallbladder wall, most commonly occurring secondary to cystic duct obstruction by gallstones, presenting with leukocytosis, fever, and right upper quadrant biliary colic occurring $3\text{--}6\,\text{hours}$ after consuming a high-fat meal.

Short Bowel Syndrome

A severe malabsorption and dehydration syndrome resulting from extensive surgical resection of the small intestine (especially when ileal resection exceeds $100\,\text{cm}$), causing profound bile salt wasting, fatty acid diarrhea, and vitamin $\text{B}_{12}$ deficiency.

Cirrhosis

An irreversible end-stage chronic liver condition characterized by extensive hepatic fibrosis and regenerative nodules, resulting in permanent disruption of vascular architecture, portal hypertension, and hepatocyte failure.

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS)

A clinical syndrome seen in chronic, heavy cannabis users characterized by cyclical episodes of intractable nausea, projectile vomiting, and abdominal pain that is characteristically relieved by hot water bathing.

Ondansetron (Zofran)

A selective serotonin $5\text{-HT}_3$ receptor antagonist antiemetic that mitigates nausea and vomiting by antagonizing serotonin receptors both centrally in the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) and peripherally on vagal nerve terminals.

Crohn's Disease

A chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can involve any portion of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus, characterized by transmural inflammation, skip lesions, cobblestone mucosa, and a propensity for fistulas and strictures.

Ulcerative Colitis

A chronic inflammatory bowel disease restricted to the mucosal and submucosal layers of the colon and rectum that presents with continuous mucosal inflammation, pseudopolyps, and frequent episodes of bloody diarrhea.

Bristol Stool Chart

A medical diagnostic classification that categorizes human feces into seven distinct morphological grades, ranging from Type 1 (separate hard lumps representing severe constipation) and Type 4 (smooth, soft snake-like stool representing normal stool) to Type 7 (entirely liquid stool representing severe diarrhea).

Functional Constipation

A bowel elimination condition defined as difficult or infrequent passage of stool (fewer than three bowel movements per week) without an identifiable underlying physiological, pharmacological, or mechanical cause.