Nursing Assessment and Medical Terminology Review

Practice vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering physical assessment, spinal curvature, cardiac sounds, abdominal signs, lab markers, and medical terms.

Thoracic Curvature

A spinal alignment finding characterized by a hunchback appearance.

Lordosis

An excessive inward curvature of the lumbar spine causing a sway back appearance.

Scoliosis

A lateral spinal curvature resulting in an S-shape, manifested by uneven shoulders and hips.

Spinal Alignment Assessment Technique

An assessment procedure where the client bends forward to touch their toes while the nurse inspects spinal alignment.

Normal Gait

A walking pattern characterized by balance, consistent stride, symmetrical arm swing, upright posture, and smooth movement.

Abnormal Gait

A walking pattern characterized by unsteadiness, unbalance, an exaggerated limp, forward-leaning posture, or shuffling feet.

Shuffling Feet

An abnormal gait pattern characteristic of Parkinson's disease.

Pronation

Elbow and forearm joint movement resulting in the palm facing down.

Supination

Elbow and forearm joint movement resulting in the palm facing up (resembled by holding a bowl of soup).

S1 (First Heart Sound)

Heart sound signifying the start of systole caused by the closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves, producing the sound 'lub'.

S2 (Second Heart Sound)

Heart sound signifying the start of diastole caused by the closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves, producing the sound 'dub'.

S3 (Third Heart Sound)

An abnormal heart sound occurring after S2 that indicates fluid overload rushing into a full ventricle, associated with heart failure.

S4 (Fourth Heart Sound)

An abnormal heart sound occurring before S1 in adults with a 'Tennessee' cadence, indicating a stiff, noncompliant ventricle.

Friction Rub

A scratching, sandpaper-like sound heard during systole and diastole that is associated with pericarditis.

Pericarditis

Inflammation of the tissues around the heart.

Systolic Murmur

A heart murmur sound heard between S1 and S2.

Diastolic Murmur

A heart murmur sound heard after S2.

Holosystolic Murmur

A heart murmur sound that continues continuously throughout from S1 to S2.

Aortic Valve Location

Anatomical heart location situated at the second intercostal space along the right sternal border.

Pulmonic Valve Location

Anatomical heart location situated at the second intercostal space along the left sternal border.

LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein)

Known as bad cholesterol, an elevated level is a primary modifiable risk factor strongly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Left-Sided Heart Failure Assessment

Clinical assessment focusing on listening to breath sounds in the lungs to detect pulmonary congestion.

Right-Sided Heart Failure Assessment

Clinical assessment looking for peripheral edema, jugular vein distension (JVD), and hepatojugular reflux.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

Arterial disease presenting with diminished or absent pulses, cool thin shiny skin, poor circulation, and leg pain due to lack of oxygen delivery to muscles.

Triple A Red Flag Finding

A pulsation observed between the umbilicus and the pubis, indicating a possible abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Normal Bowel Sounds

Gastrointestinal sounds typically heard at a frequency of $5$ to $35$ sounds per minute.

Tympany

The characteristic sound heard upon percussing an air-filled bowel.

Dullness

The characteristic sound heard upon percussing dense abdominal organs.

Pallor Assessment

In dark-pigmented clients, best evaluated by inspecting the buccal mucosa and conjunctiva.

Cyanosis Assessment

Assessment of bluish skin discoloration best observed at the nail beds, oral mucosa, and conjunctiva.

Jaundice Assessment

Assessment of yellow discoloration best inspected in the sclera, hard and soft palate junction, and palms.

Anthropometric Measures

Nutritional physical measurements consisting of height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Serum Albumin

A primary laboratory marker that indicates overall protein status, essential for skin integrity and wound healing.

End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

Advanced kidney disease defined by a Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) of $15\text{ mL/min}$ or lower and less than $10\text{\%}$ remaining kidney function.

Snellen Chart

A standardized visual assessment tool used to measure distance vision and visual acuity.

Weber Test

A hearing test using a tuning fork to detect sound lateralization and compare hearing equality between both ears.

Tinnitus

Medical term for ringing or buzzing noises heard in the ears.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

A central nervous system condition characterized by the destruction of central nervous system myelin.

-plegia

Medical terminology suffix denoting paralysis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

An autoimmune disease affecting the joints.

Hepatitis

Medical term describing inflammation of the liver.

Dysphagia

Medical term describing difficulty or trouble swallowing.