TERMINOLOGY III

TERMINOLOGY IN MEDICAL CONTEXT

Definitions of Key Terms

1. Aerobic

   • Definition: Growing only in the presence of oxygen.

2. Ambient

   • Definition: Natural atmospheric environment.

3. Angiogram

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

4. Apneusis

   • Definition: Condition marked by maintained inspiratory activity.

5. Asystole

   • Definition: Cessation of ventricular contraction of the heart.

6. Benign

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

7. Bronchiectasis

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

8. Cardiac Tamponade

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

9. Congestive Heart Failure

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

10. Cyanosis

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

11. Distal

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

12. Dyspnea

    • Definition: Difficult or labored breathing.

13. Empyema

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

14. Exudate

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

15. 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.

16. Heparin

    • Definition: Macromolecule polysaccharide acid found in various tissues, abundant in the liver. It is a medication that prolongs the clotting time of blood.

17. Hypercapnia

    • Definition: Excess of carbon dioxide in the blood.

18. Hypoxia

    • Definition: Deficiency of oxygen in the tissues.

19. Ion

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

20. Manometer

    • Definition: An instrument for measuring pressure.

21. Orthopnea

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

22. Perfusion

    • Definition: Blood flow.

23. Pleura

    • Definition: A serous membrane that invests the lungs and the lining of the thoracic cavity and encloses the pleural cavity.

24. Polycythemia

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

25. Pulmonary Circulation

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

26. Radiolucent

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

27. Resonance

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

28. Shunt

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

29. Stenosis

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

30. Syndrome

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

31. Tachypnea

    • Definition: Abnormally rapid rate of breathing.

32. Vapor

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

33. Ventilate

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

34. Vital Signs

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