Chapter 21 Terms Flashcards
Chest tube
A tube surgically inserted into the chest to drain blood, fluid or air, and to allow the lungs to expand.
Evisceration
A severe injury that causes the abdominal organs to protrude through the wound.
Flail chest
A serious injury in which multiple rib fractures result in a loose section of ribs that does not move normally with the rest of the chest during breathing and often moves in the opposite direction.
Hemopneumothorax
An accumulation of blood and air between the lungs and chest wall.
Hemothorax
An accumulation of blood between the lungs and chest wall.
Caused by bleeding that may be from the chest wall, lung tissue or major blood vessels in the thorax.
Hypotension
Abnormally low blood pressure.
Impaled object
An object that remains embedded in an open wound.
AKA embedded object.
Intercostal
Located between the ribs
Parenchyma
Tissue that is involved in the functioning of a structure or organ as opposed to its supporting structures.
Percussion
A technique of tapping on the surface of the body and listening to the resulting sounds, to learn about the condition of the area beneath.
Peritoneum
The membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers most of the abdominal organs.
Pleural space
The space between the lungs and chest wall.
Pneumothorax
Collapse of a lung due to pressure on it caused by air in the chest cavity.
Subconjunctival hemmorrhage
Broken blood vessels in the eyes.
Subcutaneous emphysema
A rare condition in which air gets into tissues under the skin that covers the chest wall or neck. May occur as a result of wounds to those areas.
