263 MISHS List of Required Terms
- A.C.: Before meals. As in taking a medicine before meals.
- Abdomen: The part of the body between the chest and pelvis
- Abdominal Cavity: The cavity in the abdomen which contains all the internal organs and entrails
- Absorption: The process wherein nutrients are absorbed by the body from food after digestion.
- Acromegaly: Condition due to the production of too much growth hormone by the pituitary gland after the end of adolescence.
- Acute: Rapid; short, sudden, severe. Not Chronic.
- Allergy: An exaggerated immune response to substances in the environment.
- An infectious disease: A disease caused by bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoan infection.
- anemia: A decreased ability of the blood to carry oxygen because of a reduction in either the number or quality of the red blood cells
- anesthesia: Drug-induced loss of feeling or sensation.
- Antibiotics: These medicines attack bacteria that make you sick. (They work only against bacteria, though, so they aren’t used for illnesses caused by a virus, like a cold.)
- antibody: A protein produced by the body to neutralize an invading foreign agent or antigen, such as a virus
- antigen: A foreign agent capable of starting an immune response or causing the body to produce antibodies
- Anuric: Not producing Urine
- anxiety: A feeling of nervousness, uneasiness, apprehension or dread
- Apex: the apex is the tip of a pyramidal or rounded structure, like the lung or the heart.
- Apnea: A temporary stopping of breathing, often occurring during sleep.
- arrhythmia: an alteration in rhythm of the heartbeat either in time or force
- ARTHRITIS: Is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body
- Asthma: A chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes (airways) that causes swelling and narrowing (constriction) of the airways. The result is difficulty breathing.
- Atria: The upper chambers of the heart that receive blood from the veins and pass it to the lower chambers of the heart.
- Atrophy: a diminution in the size of a cell, tissue, organ, or part
- Barium: A metallic element belonging to the alkaline earths with an atomic number of 56 and an atomic weight of 137.34.
- biopsy: Is a test that’s performed to examine tissue or cells from a part of the body? It can be done by cutting or scraping a small piece of the tissue or by withdrawing a sample of tissue with a needle and syringe.
- birth rate: “the ratio between births and individuals in a specified population and time often expressed as number of live
- births per hundred or per thousand population per year”
- BKA: Below the Knee Amputation.
- Blastoma: A tumor thought to arise in embryonic tissue.
- Bloob pressure: a measure of the force of blood flow against veins and arteries
- Blood glucose: The main sugar that the body makes from the food in the diet
- blood poisoning: Infection within the circulatory system. A potentially life-threatening condition that requires prompt treatment
- Blood pressure: The pressure exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels.
- Blood sugar: The concentration of glucose in the blood, measured in milligrams of glucose per 100 milliliters of blood.
- Blood type: is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs)
- Bone marrow : Is a thick, spongy kind of jelly inside your bones. Bone marrow makes all kinds of blood cells: red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that fight infections and platelets that help blood clot.
- BP: Blood Pressure.
- bradycardia: relatively slow heart action whether physiological or pathological
- Bronchi: The large air tubes leading from the trachea to the lungs that convey air to and from the lungs.
- bruise: Discoloration of the skin due to a buildup of blood in the underlying soft tissues
- C/O: Complaint Of.
- cancer: Abnormal cells with uncontrolled cell growth.
- Capillaries: Capillaries are the smallest of blood vessels.
- Cardiac arrest: sudden cessation of the pumping function of the heart with disappearance of arterial blood pressure
- cardiac arrest: abrupt temporary or permanent cessation of the heartbeat (as from ventricular fibrillation or asystole)
- Cardiology: Study of the heart.
- Cardiovascular: Having to do with the heart and blood vessels.
- CBC: Complete Blood Count
- CC: Chief Complaint
- Cellulitis: An acute spreading bacterial infection below the surface of the skin.
- Cephalic: pertaining to the head.
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy (often just called “chemo”) refers to medications that kill actively dividing cells.
- CHF: Congestive heart failure.
- cholesterol: A fat-like substance that, if present in the blood in large amounts, is associated with the development of heart disease
- Chronic: Lasting of long duration. Not acute.
- coma: a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison
- cyanosis: a bluish or purplish discoloration (as of skin) due to deficient oxygenation of the blood
- Cytology: The study of cells.
- D/C or DC: Discontinue or Discharge
- Dermatitis: Inflammation of the skin.
- Dermatologist: A special doctor called a dermatologist knows a lot about skin. Dermatologists help people who have itchy skin, pimply skin, and any other skin problems!
- Diabetes: Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, a sugar that is the body’s main source of fuel. Your body needs glucose to keep running.
- diagnosis: The process of identifying a disease or medical condition.
- dialysis: “either of two medical procedures to remove wastes or toxins from the blood and adjust fluid and electrolyte imbalances
- by utilizing rates at which substances diffuse through a semipermeable membrane”
- diarrhea: abnormally frequent intestinal evacuations with more or less fluid stools
- DNR: Do Not Resuscitate
- ECG: Abbreviation for electrocardiogram or EKG. The K is from “kardio” (in German).
- Edema: Excessive accumulation of fluid in the body tissue which causes swelling.
- EEG: Electroencephalogram, e technique for studying the electrical current within the brain.
- Emergency room (ER): Short for emergency room, this is the part of the hospital where kids and adults go if they suddenly have a big health problem or accident.
- Endoscope: An instrument used to look into body cavities and openings, such as a gastro scope used to examine the stomach.
- Fatigue: is physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be triggered by stress, medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease.
- Fetoscopy: A technique for looking directly at the fetus within the uterus (using a fetoscope).
- fever: Abnormally high body temperature.
- fever: A fever is when your body gets a little hotter than normal on the inside. This can mean that your body has just been invaded by germs
- fracture: Broken, especially a broken bone.
- FX: Fracture
- Galactose: A sugar contained in milk.
- Gastric: Having to do with the stomach.
- GASTROENTERITIS: Is the inflammation of the stomach and small intestine
- Gene: The basic biological unit of heredity.
- glucose: Dextrose. A simple six-carbon sugar naturally found in fruits, honey and blood
- H&P: History and Physical Examination
- HEART ATTACK: Is the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart cause the heart cells to die
- heart failure: Inability of the heart to adequately pump blood
- heart rate: a measure of cardiac activity usually expressed as number of beats per minute
- heartburn: Indigestion. A burning sensation in the chest caused by a reflux of acid into the esophagus or too much acid in the stomach
- heat stroke: A serious failure of the body’s heat-regulating mechanism resulting from excessive exposure to intense heat
- Hematoma: Mass of blood.
- Hemoglobin: Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body. A hemoglobin test is used to determine how much hemoglobin is in the blood.
- Hepatic: Having to do with the liver.
- Hepatitis: Inflammation or infection of the liver.
- Hepatitis A: Inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV).
- HTN : Hypertension
- Hypercholesterolemia: is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood (greater than 200 mg/dL)
- Hyperglycemia: Excessive sugar in the blood.
- Hypertension: High blood pressure
- hypoglycemia: abnormal decrease of sugar in the blood
- hypothermia: Low body temperature.
- I&D: Incision and Drainage
- incidence: the rate of occurrence of new cases of a particular disease in a population being studied
- Infection: The pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms
- infectious disease: A disease that can be spread from one person to another
- Inflammation: Swelling, redness, warmth and pain. A body tissue’s protective response to injury.
- Injection: it is a method of putting liquid into the body with a syringe and a hollow needle that punctures the skin.
- Ischemia: Lack of blood supply to an organ or part due to a spasm or shutting down of the artery which supplies it.
- leukemia: Cancer of the tissues in the bone marrow, spleen and lymph nodes.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) : is a safe and painless test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the body’s organs and structures.
- mortality rate: the proportion of deaths to population
- MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.
- murmur: An extra heart sound that may be normal or abnormal.
- Muscle: Tissue made up of bundles of long, slender cells that contract when stimulated.
- N/V: Nausea or Vomitting
- Neurologist: A neurologist is a doctor who studies the nervous system. Neurologists help people who have epilepsy (seizures), severe headaches, trouble moving their arms or legs, and many other problems that can affect the nervous system.
- Nevus: A mole or other colored spot on the skin
- npo: Latin nil per os i.e. nothing by mouth
- nurse practitioner (NP): A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse (RN) who has additional education and training in a specialty area such as family practice or pediatrics.
- Occupancy rate: Number of acute care beds effectively occupied (beddays)in in-patient institutions divided by the number available acute care beds and multiplied by 100
- Ophthalmologist: An ophthalmologist is an eye doctor. This type of doctor helps people with all kinds of eye problems and does surgery on the eye if needed.
- outbreak: a sudden rise in the incidence of a disease
- oxygen saturation: the percentage of hemoglobin combined with oxygen in the form of oxyhemoglobin
- Pain: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience most often associated with tissue damage.
- paralysis: Inability to move parts of the body.
- Physical therapy: Treatments with manipulation, exercises, message, heat, cold, stimulators, etc. used to assist recovery and movement of limb after injury or surgery.
- prevalence: the percentage of a population that is affected with a particular disease at a given time
- progeny: Children
- pulse: The heartbeat as felt through the walls of an artery.
- pulse rate: the rate of the arterial pulse usually observed at the wrist and stated in beats per minute
- R/O: Rule Out
- Radiology: x-rays and other imaging techniques.
- rash: Visual marks or spots that appear on the skin.
- Reflex: An uncontrollable (involuntary) response to a particular stimulation.
- REHABILITATION: The combined and coordinated use of medical, social, educational, and vocational measures for training or retraining individuals disabled by disease or injury to the highest possible level of functional ability
- Respiratory rate: Respiratory rate is the number of breaths (inspirations and expirations) in one minute.
- Respiratory rate: The number of breaths per minute. The normal adult inhales approximately twenty times per minute.
- Retina: The retina is at the back of your eye and it has light-sensitive cells called rods and cones.
- Seizure: Uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, which may produce a physical convulsion, minor physical signs, thought disturbances, or a combination of symptoms.
- Septum: A wall dividing an organ or cavity, as in the nose.
- Sign and Symptom: Subjective evidence of a disease.
- Sinusitis: is inflammation of the lining membrane of any of the hollow areas (sinuses) of the bone of the skull around the nose
- SOB: Shortness Of Breath
- stroke: Deprivation of the blood supply to the brain due to blockage of a blood vessel. Results in unconsciousness, paralysis or other neurologic symptoms.
- tachycardia: relatively rapid heart action whether physiological (as after exercise) or pathological
- Thrombosis: the formation or presence of a thrombus (a clot of coagulated blood attached at the site of its formation) in a blood vessel
- Trachea: The air passage extending from the throat to the bronchi. Also called the windpipe.
- transplantation: The transfer of living organs or tissue from a donor to another person or from one area in the body to another.
- Tumor: Overgrowth of tissue.
- Umbilical Cord: This is the name for the long tube that runs between a mother and her unborn baby. It carries oxygen and nutrients to the baby and waste away from the baby.
- Urine: The fluid composed of water and waste products that’s secreted by the kidneys.
- vaccine: A preparation of killed or weakened microorganisms, given to treat or prevent disease.
- Viruses: Viruses are a type of germ. They’re very tiny, and when they get inside your body, they can make you sick. Viruses cause colds, chicken pox, measles, flu, and many other diseases.
- Vitamins: Vitamins and minerals are substances that are found in foods we eat.
- VSS: Vital Signs are Stable.
- Wt: Weight