Medical Terminology Flashcards
Abrasion
Scrape to the skin
Acute
New, usually of rapid onset and of concern, opposite of chronic
Ambulate
To walk
Angina Pectoris
chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart
Angioplasty
surgical placement of a stent (due to Atherosclerosis)
Anterior
Located towards the front of the body
Appendectomy
Removal of appendix
Arrhythmia/ Dysrhythmia
Improper beating of the heart, whether irregular, too fast or too slow
Atherosclerosis
Fatty plaque buildup in the tunica media of vessels
Avulsion
The action of pulling or tearing away
Benign
Normal, of no danger to health
Blood in the urine
Hematuria
Body laying face up
supine
Bradycardia
Slow heart rate
Cardiomegaly
Enlarged heart
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
a.k.a. “Stroke”. Lack of blood supply to the brain causing brain damage
Cholecystectomy
Gallbladder removal
Cholecystitis
Inflammation of the cholecyst (gallbladder)
Chronic
Long standing, constant Opposite of acute
Contusion
Bruise - type of hematoma of tissue in which capillaries and sometimes venules are damaged by trauma, allowing blood to seep into surrounding interstitial tissues
COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Coronary Artery
The artery that supplies heart tissue with blood
Cryptorchidism
condition of lack of descent of one or both testes into the scrotum
Cut in the skin
Laceration
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
A blood clot in a deep vein, most often an extremity
Diaphoresis
Sweating
Distal
Farther from center or point of connection
Dizziness, described as spinning sensation
Vertigo
Downcode
Occurs when a Level 5 chart is reduced to a Level 4. This is due to: - Overbilling - Not billing enough
Dyspnea
Problems with breathing; Shortness of breath
Dysuria
Painful urination
Ear wax
Cerumen
Ecchymosis
Subcutaneous spot of bleeding larger than 1 cm
AKA: Bruising
Edema
Swelling; “Pooling of fluid”
Emesis
Vomiting
Epistaxis
Nose Bleed
Erythema/Erythematous
Redness/Red
Febrile
Elevated body temperature, fever, indicative of infection
Foot movement when toes flex down
Plantar flexion
Grossly
Obviously; a lot; wholly
Hematemesis
Bloody vomit
Hematochezia
passage of bright red blood from the anus
Hematoma
a localized collection of blood outside the blood vessels, due to either disease or trauma
Hematuria
Very large amounts of blood in the urine
Hemoptysis
Coughing up blood
Hemorrhage
Excessive or profuse bleeding
Hepatomegaly
Enlarged liver
Hydrocele
Fluid filled sac partially surrounding the testis
Hypertension
High blood pressure
Hypotension
Low blood pressure
Hypoxia
Low oxygen saturation of the body, not enough oxygen in the blood
Inability to control bowel movements or urine
Incontinence
Infarct
Area of dead tissue due to lack of blood supply
Inferior
Lower on the body, farther from the head
Intermittent
Pain that fluctuates between symptomatic and asymptomatic
Ischemia
Lack of blood supply
Ischemia
Damage to an organ due to insufficient blood flow or oxygen
Laceration
Splitting of the skin due to trauma (a cut due to something sharp)
Lateral
Farther from the midline (a line that can be traced from nose to belly-button)
Lobectomy
Removal of part of lung
Manner of walking
Gait
Mastectomy
Breast removal
Medial
Nearer to the midline
Melena
Black tarry stool
Missed ancillary
Undocumented procedures or assessments
Mitral Prolapse
Improper closure of mitral valve
Motion toward midline
Adduction
Myalgia
Muscular pain, muscle aches
Myocardial Infarction (MI)
Death of cardiac muscle due to ischemia = heart attack
Nose bleed
Epistaxis
Not breathing
Apnea
Number of Chart elements needed for the following: - HPI - ROS - PFSH - PE
- 4 - 10 - 2 - 8
Odynophagia
Pain swallowing foods or liquids
Oriented x3
Oriented to person, place, and time
Pallor
Pale skin
Passing out or fainting
Syncope
Polydipsia
Abnormally great thirst
Posterior/Dorsal
Rear or backside of the body
Pregnant
Gravid
Proximal
Nearer to the trunk of the body
Pruritic
Itchy
Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
Blocking of a pulmonary artery due to a blood clot.
Purulent
Pus-like
Rales
Crackles: wet crackling noise in lungs
Regurgitation
Leakage or backward flow of blood, usually through a valve
Rhinorrhea
Clear nasal discharge, “runny nose”
Rhonchi
Rattling noise of mucous in the lungs
Sepsis
Dangerous infection in the blood
STEMI
ST elevation MI, real-time ongoing death of heart tissue due to ischemia
Stenosis
narrowing of an artery, vein or opening of a valve
Superior
higher on the body, near to the head
Supine
body position lying face up
Syncope
“Passing out”, loss of consciousness or fainting
Tachycardia
Fast heart rate (HR greater than 100bpm)
Tachypnea
Increased breathing rate
Tandem Gait
walking while looking at the ground, taking each step carefully [common in old people who think they will fall at any moment]
Tonsilith
White stones forming on your tonsils
Tracheostomy
Hole in my neck
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
Minor stroke; where neurological function is regained quickly with time
Variocele
An enlargement and twisting of the veins within the scrotum
Vertigo
Condition of dizziness, “room spinning”
Volar
Relating to the palm of the hand or sole of the foot
Vomiting
Emesis
Waxing and Waning pain
Pain that fluctuates up and down, but never returns to baseline
Wheezing
High pitched sound heard in the lungs with asthmatics or lung disease
Cholectomy
Removal of the colon
Stricture
Abnormal narrowing of a canal or duct in the body.
Ex: narrowing of the urethra
Radiculopathy
Disease of the root of a nerve, such as a pinched nerve or a tumor
Cervical cerclage
Stitch placed on the cervix.
[Normally for a Pt with a Hx of a compromised uterus (several miscarriages)]
