LA

Terminology III Study Notes

TERMINOLOGY III

1. Definitions and Concepts

  • Aerobic

    • Definition: Growing only in the presence of oxygen.

  • Ambient

    • Definition: Natural atmospheric environment.

  • Angiogram

    • Definition: Special type of x-ray that visualizes the blood vessels.

  • Apneusis

    • Definition: Condition marked by maintained inspiratory activity.

  • Asystole

    • Definition: Cessation of ventricular contraction of the heart.

  • Benign

    • Definition: Not malignant; not recurrent; favorable for recovery.

  • Bronchiectasis

    • Definition: Chronic dilation of the bronchi or bronchioles, marked by fetid breath and paroxysmal coughing with the expectoration of mucopurulent matter.

  • Cardiac Tamponade

    • Definition: Acute compression of the heart due to effusion of fluid into the pericardium or the collection of blood in the pericardium from rupture of the heart or a coronary vessel.

  • Congestive Heart Failure

    • Definition: Failure of the heart to maintain an adequate output, resulting in diminished blood flow to the tissues and congestion in pulmonary and/or systemic circulation.

  • Cyanosis

    • Definition: Any bluish discoloration of the skin; associated with blood oxygen deficiency.

  • Distal

    • Definition: Away from the point of origin; downstream.

  • Dyspnea

    • Definition: Difficult or labored breathing.

  • Empyema

    • Definition: Accumulation of pus in a cavity of the body, especially the chest.

  • Exudate

    • Definition: Fluid that accumulates as a result of inflammation.

  • Heart Failure

    • Definition: Sudden fatal cessation of the heart's action; the clinical condition resulting from the inability of the myocardium of the ventricles to maintain an adequate flow of blood to all the tissues of the body.

  • Heparin

    • Definition: Macromolecule polysaccharide acid found in various tissues, especially abundant in the liver; used as a medication that prolongs the clotting time of blood.

  • Hypercapnia

    • Definition: Excess of carbon dioxide in the blood.

  • Hypoxia

    • Definition: Deficiency of oxygen in the tissues.

  • Ion

    • Definition: An atom or group of atoms that has acquired an electric charge through a gain or loss of an electron or electrons.

  • Manometer

    • Definition: Instrument for measuring pressure.

  • Orthopnea

    • Definition: Inability to breathe unless in an upright position.

  • Perfusion

    • Definition: Blood flow.

  • Pleura

    • Definition: Serous membrane that invests the lungs and lines the thoracic cavity, enclosing the pleural cavity.

  • Polycythemia

    • Definition: Excess of red corpuscles in the blood, often seen in patients with chronic cardiac or pulmonary diseases due to arterial oxygen unsaturation.

  • Pulmonary Circulation

    • Definition: Blood circulation that carries blood from the right ventricle to the lungs and returns oxygenated blood to the left atrium of the heart.

  • Radiolucent

    • Definition: Allowing for the passage of X-rays.

  • Resonance

    • Definition: Prolongation and intensification of sound produced by the transmission of its vibrations to a cavity, especially a sound elicited by percussion.

  • Shunt

    • Definition: Bypass; a direct communication between arterial and venous circulation or perfusion of unventilated alveoli.

  • Stenosis

    • Definition: Narrowing or constriction, especially of a lumen or orifice.

  • Syndrome

    • Definition: Group of signs or symptoms that, when considered together, characterize a disease.

  • Tachypnea

    • Definition: Abnormally rapid rate of breathing.

  • Vapor

    • Definition: A gas, especially the gaseous form of a substance that at ordinary temperatures can be converted to a liquid.

  • Ventilate

    • Definition: Movement of gas into and out of the lungs.

  • Vital Signs

    • Definition: Living signs, such as temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure.