Medical Emergency Terminology Flashcards
1
Q
cerebrum
A
“largest part of brain”
- “responsible for movement, senses, conscious thoughts, emotions, learning, temperature”
2
Q
what percentage of the body’s total blood flow per minute does your brain receive?
A
about 20%
3
Q
how much of the body’s glucose does the brain consume?
A
25%
3
Q
diencephalon
A
interbrain
4
Q
actions in control by the diencephalon
A
involuntary actions
- temperature
- sleep
- water balance
- stress
- emotions
5
Q
actions in control by the mesencephalon
A
- respirations
- blood pressure
- heart rate
6
Q
mescencephalon
A
midbrain
7
Q
pons
A
“middle part of brainstem”
- “coordinates face and eye movements, facial sensations, hearing and balance”
8
Q
reticular activating system
A
responsible for maintaining consciousness and ability to respond to stimuli
9
Q
AEIOU TIPS
A
mnemonic to rule in/rule out reasons for altered mental status and/or unconsciousness
10
Q
A in AEIOU
A
alcohol
11
Q
E in AEIOU
A
epilepsy
12
Q
I in AEIOU
A
insulin
13
Q
O in AEIOU
A
overdose
14
Q
U in AEIOU
A
uremia
15
Q
T in TIPS
A
trauma
16
Q
I in TIPS
A
infection
17
Q
P in TIPS
A
psychogenic
18
Q
S in TIPS
A
stroke/syncope
19
Q
epilepsy
A
“neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions”
- “associated with abnormal electrical activity in brain”
20
Q
syncope
A
“temporary loss of consciousness caused by a fall in blood pressure”
21
Q
uremia
A
“clinical condition associated with declining renal function”
- “characterized by fluid overload, electrolyte imbalance, metabolic abnormalities, and physiological changes”
22
Q
what does AMS stand for?
A
Altered Mental Status
23
Q
DERM
A
mnemonic for assessing severity of AMS
24
D in DERM
depth of coma
25
E in DERM
eyes
26
R in DERM
respiratory pattern
27
M in DERM
motor function
28
Babinski Reflex
dorsiflexion of the great toe and fanning out of other toes when bottom of foot is stroked with sharp object
- indicates dysfunction of the CNS
29
psychogenic
"originating in the mind"
30
"Extra Value Meal is $4.56" - Glasgow Coma Score
"Top end of Glasgow Coma Scale"
Extra = Eyes (max score = 4)
Value = Verbal (max score = 5)
Meal = Motor (max score = 6)
31
Glasgow Coma Score
" a system to measure how conscious you are"
measures:
- eyes; the greater the value the better
- verbal; the greater the value the better
- motor; the greater the value the better
- pupil (value subtracted from overall score); the lower the value the better
*total value equaling 8 or less = coma
*total score equaling 15 = totally awake, responsive
32
decorticate posturing
deep cerebral brainstem injury
- flexes towards the "cord"
33
decerebrate posturing
deep cerebral brainstem injury
- more severe than decorticate
34
"cord"
spinal cord
35
dorsiflexion
"backward bending and contracting of your hand or foot"
36
ischemic (occlusive) stroke
- cerebral artery blocked by clot
- most common
- results in ischemia (inadequate blood supply to brain tissue, progresses to brain muscle infarction)
- typically a more gradual onset
37
cerebral artery
"any of the arteries supplying the cerebral cortex"
38
hemorrhagic (bleed) stroke
- bleeding can be within brain or on outer surface of brain
- less common
- sudden onset, severe headache
39
onset
"the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness"
40
what does TIA stand for?
transient ischemic attack
41
TIA
temporary interference with blood supply to brain ("mini stroke")
- lasts for a few minutes to several hours, symptoms fully resolve in no more than 24 hours
- no evidence of residual brain or neurologic damage
42
stroke facts
- check blood glucose on all suspected stroke patients
- gain a good history from patient or family members (specifically, time of symptom onset/last seen normal)
- be cautious with oxygen administration (do not give oxygen unless SPO2/patient presentation warrant)
43
symptoms of stroke
- loss of movement on opposite side of the body
- confusion
- inability to speak
- patient may experience anything from no symptoms to complete paralysis
44
management of stroke
- administer supplemental oxygen
- establish IV access, obtain blood samples
- elevate patient's head 30 degrees
- ensure airway is clear
- watch for seizures and call early for paramedic backup
45
diabetes mellitus
inadequate insulin activity
46
insulin
critical to maintaining blood glucose levels and enables the body to store energy as glycogen, protein, and fat
47
Type I Diabetes
"juvenile diabetes"
- beta cell destruction
- IDDM
- very low production of insulin (if any)
- less common than Type II but more serious
- accounts for most diabetes- related deaths
- if untreated, blood glucose levels rise because cells cannot take up circulating sugar
- BGL of 300-500 not uncommon
- may proceed to diabetic ketoacidosis
48
what does IDDM stand for?
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
49
IDDM
a.k.a. Type I Diabetes
- "chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin"
50
ketosis
"process that happens when your body doesn't have enough carbohydrates to burn for energy"
- "instead, it burns fats and makes things called ketones, which body can use for fuel"
51
fat catabolism
"the mechanism by which the body accesses energy stored as triglycerides"
52
beta cell
"cells that make insulin"
53
what does DKA stand for?
diabetic ketoacidosis
54
DKA
"serious complication of diabetes that can be life-threatening"
- body switches to fat catabolism
- BGL rises with fast onset with no insulin
- BGL is around greater than 500mg/dL
55
Type II Diabetes
- inulin resistance
- NIDDM
- some patients may require insulin
- heredity and obesity play a role
- far more common than Type I
- untreated presents with lower level of hyperglycemia and fewer major signs of metabolic disruption
- may proceed to HHNK
56
what does NIDDM stand for?
non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
57
NIDDM
a.k.a. Type II Diabetes
- "complex disease that results from an imbalance between insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion"
58
what does HHNK stand for?
hyperglycemic hyperosmolar non-ketonic syndrome
59
HHNK
"a life-threatening complication of uncontrolled Type II diabetes that involves very high blood sugar levels"
- severe dehydration
- BGL rises with slow onset
- BGL is about greater than 1,000mg/dL
- higher mortality than DKA
60
hypoglycemia
BGL is less than 60
- treat with oral sugar (if conscious and able to maintain airway)
61
oral glucose
anti-hypoglycemic medication
62
dose of oral glucose
administered orally
- contains 15g of glucose
63
contraindications of oral glucose
- patient with altered mental status
- patient unable to swallow (aspiration risk)
64
effects of Type I Diabetes
- polydipsia
- polyuria
- polyphagia
- weakness
- weight loss
65
polydipsia
constant thirst
66
polyuria
excessive urination
67
polyphagia
ravenous appetite
68
generalized seizures
- electrical discharge in small area of brain
- spreads to involve entire cerebral cortex
- causes widespread malfunction
- causes tonic-clonic and absence seizures
69
medula oblongata
"bottom part of brainstem"
- "regulating breathing, heartbeat, bp, and swallowing"
70
GCS for head injury
13-15: mild TBI (such as concussion)
9-12: moderate TBI
3-8: severe TBI
71
what does TBI stand for?
traumatic brain injury
72
insulin
"a hormone that controls the level of glucose in the blood"
73
tonic-clonic seizures
- grand mal seizure
- "type of seizure that includes both tonic (stiffening) and clonic (jerking, twitching) muscle activity"
74
absence seizures
- "brief, sudden lapses of consciousness"
75
partial seizures
- confined to limited portion of brain
- localized malfunction
- may spread and become generalized
- includes simple or complex seizures
76
simple partial seizures
- "seizure that occurs while a person is awake and aware, and usually lasts less than two minutes"
- "involve a small portion or a focal area of the brain"
- chaotic movement or dysfunction of one area of the body
77
complex partial seizures
- "start in one area and travel to another"
- "cause altered awareness"
- "most common type of epilepsy"
78
aura
"warning sign that seizure may occur"
79
distinctive auras for complex partial sezures
- unusual smell, taste, sound
- metallic taste in mouth is common
80
generalized seizures
- "type of seizure that occurs when abnormal electrical activity begins at the same time in both halves of brain"
81
signs of seizures
- "involuntary movements (jerking, stiffening)
- changes in awareness (staring, unresponsive, loss of consciousness)
- unusual sensations (abnormal tastes or smells, hallucinations, numbness, tingling)
- physiological symptoms (fear, anxiety, deja vu, strange thoughts)
- breathing problems (noisy breathing, stop breathing, abnormal breathing)
- loss of bladder or bowel control"
82
management of seizures
- administer oxygen
- suction the airway, provide positive-pressure ventilation
- transport quickly
- gain IV access as a medication route even if fluid resuscitation is not needed
83
signs of hemorrhagic stroke
- sudden onset of a severe headache
- rapidly decreasing LOC
84
signs of stroke
- facial drooping
- sudden weakness or numbness
- decreased or absent movement and sensation on one side of the body
- ataxia or loss of balance
- sudden vision loss in one eye
- dysphagia
- decreased level of responsiveness
- aphasia
- slurred speech
- sudden and severe headache
- confusion
- dizziness
- coma
85
dysphagia
"difficulty or discomfort in swallowing"
86
aphasia
"language disorder that affects how you communicate"
87
postictal state of seizures
- patient's muscles relax, becoming almost flaccid
- may be characterized by hemiparesis (resembling stroke)
- lethargic, confused
