Respiratory Definitions

Question 1

Anticoagulant

Answer 1

An agent that is used to prevent the formation of blood clots - have various uses, some are used for the prevention or treatment of disorders characterised by abnormal blood clots and emboli.

Question 2

Asthma

Answer 2

A chronic inflammatory respiratory disease marked by periodic attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, a tight feeling in the chest and a cough that produces mucus caused by an allergic reaction, certain drugs or irritants, exercise, or emotional distress

Question 3

Bronchitis

Answer 3

Inflammation of the lining of the bronchiole tubes. Can be acute or chronic.

Question 4

Bronchospasm/Bronchoconstriction

Answer 4

Constriction of the air passages of the lungs by spasmodic contraction of the bronchial muscles - as in asthma

Question 5

Bronchodilators

Answer 5

A group of medications commonly used by people with asthma. They work by relaxing the muscles that surround the airways and allow the airways to open up.

Question 6

Cyanosis

Answer 6

A condition in which the skin, mucous membranes and nail beds appear blue because of lack of oxygenated haemoglobin in the blood secondary to factors such as inadequate ventilation, cardiac defects or disease, slowed circulation or possibly poison.

Question 7

Corticosteroids

Answer 7

Often known as steroids, are a group of anti-inflammatory medication that are a man-made version of hormones usually produced in human’s adrenal glands. They are commonly used for asthma treatment

Question 8

Dyspnoea

Answer 8

Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, usually the result of lung or heart disease

Question 9

Embolus/Emboli

Answer 9

An air bubble, a detached blood clot or a foreign body that travels in the bloodstream and gets stuck in a blood vessel, resulting in obstruction in vessels supplying the lungs, brain or heart, and possibly gangrene and the need for amputation in extremities

Question 10

Haemoptysis

Answer 10

The coughing up of blood or bloody secretions in the sputum

Question 11

Hypoxaemia

Answer 11

Insufficient oxygenation of arterial blood

Question 12

Hypoxia

Answer 12

A state in which the oxygen levels reaching cells is insufficient, resulting in tissue injury, may be caused by a reduction in oxygen content of inspired air, a decrease in haemoglobin available for oxygen binding, or cardiovascular or respiratory disease

Question 13

Nosocomial

Answer 13

Originating or taking place in a hospital, acquired in a hospital, especially in reference to infection.

Question 14

Oedema

Answer 14

A condition characterised by an excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body

Question 15

Orthopneoa

Answer 15

Difficulty in breathing that occurs when lying down - usually relieved upon changing position

Question 16

Pneumonia

Answer 16

An infection of one or both lungs caused by a bacterium, virus, fungus or other organism that enters the body through respiratory passages and causes high fever, chills, pain in the chest, difficulty in breathing, cough with sputum, and possibly bluish skin from insufficiently oxygenated blood

Question 17

Sinusitis

Answer 17

Inflammation of the lining membrane in any of the hollow areas (sinuses) of the skull around the nose.

Question 18

Tachypnoea

Answer 18

Abnormally rapid breathing: increased rate of respiration

Question 19

Thrombus/thrombi

Answer 19

A fibrinous blood clot formed in a vessel or a chamber of the heart that remains attached at its site of origin

Question 20

Thrombolytic

Answer 20

A medication that acts as a clot buster, dissolving the clot and reopening the artery or vein it was blocking

Question 21

Respiratory Acidosis

Answer 21

A decrease in pH caused by elevated carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) secondary to depressed respiration

Question 22

Metabolic Acidosis

Answer 22

A decrease in pH caused by an increase in non-carbonic acids or a decrease in bicarbonate

Question 23

Hypoxic Drive

Answer 23

A form of respiratory drive in which the body uses oxygen chemorecptors instead of carbon dioxide receptors to regulate the respiratory cycle.

Question 24

Alpha 1 Antitrypsin

Answer 24

A protein that protects the lungs, made by the liver

Question 25

Emphysema

Answer 25

A condition in which abnormal permanent enlargement of gas exchange airways is accompanied by destruction of the alveolar walls

Question 26

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Answer 26

Any of a group of irreversible respiratory diseases that are characterised by airflow obstruction or limitation, usually caused by smoking.

Question 27

Oxygen toxicity

Answer 27

A medical condition caused by prolonged exposure to oxygen at a high pressure.

Question 28

Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Answer 28

The collapse of a lung and the escape of air into the pleural cavity between the lung and the chest wall.

Question 29

Tension Pneumothorax

Answer 29

The progressive build up of air within the pleural space, usually due to a lung laceration which allows air into the pleural space but not to return to positive pressure

Question 30

Sleep Apnoea

Answer 30

A potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts

Question 31

Pulmonary Hypertension

Answer 31

A type of high blood pressure that effects the arteries in your lungs and the right side of your heart

Question 32

Pleural Effusion

Answer 32

The build up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs

Question 33

Empyema

Answer 33

A condition in which pus is persistently discharged into the pleural space because of complications of bacterial infections

Question 34

Bronchiectasis

Answer 34

A condition in which the bronchi of the lungs become dilated in response to obstruction