Medical Emergency Terminology Flashcards
cerebrum
“largest part of brain”
- “responsible for movement, senses, conscious thoughts, emotions, learning, temperature”
what percentage of the body’s total blood flow per minute does your brain receive?
about 20%
how much of the body’s glucose does the brain consume?
25%
diencephalon
interbrain
actions in control by the diencephalon
involuntary actions
- temperature
- sleep
- water balance
- stress
- emotions
actions in control by the mesencephalon
- respirations
- blood pressure
- heart rate
mescencephalon
midbrain
pons
“middle part of brainstem”
- “coordinates face and eye movements, facial sensations, hearing and balance”
reticular activating system
responsible for maintaining consciousness and ability to respond to stimuli
AEIOU TIPS
mnemonic to rule in/rule out reasons for altered mental status and/or unconsciousness
A in AEIOU
alcohol
E in AEIOU
epilepsy
I in AEIOU
insulin
O in AEIOU
overdose
U in AEIOU
uremia
T in TIPS
trauma
I in TIPS
infection
P in TIPS
psychogenic
S in TIPS
stroke/syncope
epilepsy
“neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions”
- “associated with abnormal electrical activity in brain”
syncope
“temporary loss of consciousness caused by a fall in blood pressure”
uremia
“clinical condition associated with declining renal function”
- “characterized by fluid overload, electrolyte imbalance, metabolic abnormalities, and physiological changes”
what does AMS stand for?
Altered Mental Status
DERM
mnemonic for assessing severity of AMS
D in DERM
depth of coma
E in DERM
eyes
R in DERM
respiratory pattern
M in DERM
motor function
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
psychogenic
“originating in the mind”
“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)
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
decorticate posturing
deep cerebral brainstem injury
- flexes towards the “cord”
decerebrate posturing
deep cerebral brainstem injury
- more severe than decorticate
“cord”
spinal cord
dorsiflexion
“backward bending and contracting of your hand or foot”
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
cerebral artery
“any of the arteries supplying the cerebral cortex”
hemorrhagic (bleed) stroke
- bleeding can be within brain or on outer surface of brain
- less common
- sudden onset, severe headache
onset
“the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness”
what does TIA stand for?
transient ischemic attack
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
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)
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
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
diabetes mellitus
inadequate insulin activity
insulin
critical to maintaining blood glucose levels and enables the body to store energy as glycogen, protein, and fat
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
what does IDDM stand for?
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
IDDM
a.k.a. Type I Diabetes
- “chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin”
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”
fat catabolism
“the mechanism by which the body accesses energy stored as triglycerides”
beta cell
“cells that make insulin”
what does DKA stand for?
diabetic ketoacidosis
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
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
what does NIDDM stand for?
non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
NIDDM
a.k.a. Type II Diabetes
- “complex disease that results from an imbalance between insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion”
what does HHNK stand for?
hyperglycemic hyperosmolar non-ketonic syndrome
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
hypoglycemia
BGL is less than 60
- treat with oral sugar (if conscious and able to maintain airway)
oral glucose
anti-hypoglycemic medication
dose of oral glucose
administered orally
- contains 15g of glucose
contraindications of oral glucose
- patient with altered mental status
- patient unable to swallow (aspiration risk)
effects of Type I Diabetes
- polydipsia
- polyuria
- polyphagia
- weakness
- weight loss
polydipsia
constant thirst
polyuria
excessive urination
polyphagia
ravenous appetite
generalized seizures
- electrical discharge in small area of brain
- spreads to involve entire cerebral cortex
- causes widespread malfunction
- causes tonic-clonic and absence seizures
medula oblongata
“bottom part of brainstem”
- “regulating breathing, heartbeat, bp, and swallowing”
GCS for head injury
13-15: mild TBI (such as concussion)
9-12: moderate TBI
3-8: severe TBI
what does TBI stand for?
traumatic brain injury
insulin
“a hormone that controls the level of glucose in the blood”
tonic-clonic seizures
- grand mal seizure
- “type of seizure that includes both tonic (stiffening) and clonic (jerking, twitching) muscle activity”
absence seizures
- “brief, sudden lapses of consciousness”
partial seizures
- confined to limited portion of brain
- localized malfunction
- may spread and become generalized
- includes simple or complex seizures
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
complex partial seizures
- “start in one area and travel to another”
- “cause altered awareness”
- “most common type of epilepsy”
aura
“warning sign that seizure may occur”
distinctive auras for complex partial sezures
- unusual smell, taste, sound
- metallic taste in mouth is common
generalized seizures
- “type of seizure that occurs when abnormal electrical activity begins at the same time in both halves of brain”
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”
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
signs of hemorrhagic stroke
- sudden onset of a severe headache
- rapidly decreasing LOC
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
dysphagia
“difficulty or discomfort in swallowing”
aphasia
“language disorder that affects how you communicate”
postictal state of seizures
- patient’s muscles relax, becoming almost flaccid
- may be characterized by hemiparesis (resembling stroke)
- lethargic, confused
