Terms - Test 2 Flashcards
Accommodation
The process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.
Acrocyanosis
Persistent blue or cyanotic discoloration of the extremities, most commonly occurring in the hands, although it also occurs in the feet and distal parts of the face.
Adventitious sounds
Extra breath sounds that are not normally heard, such as crackles, rhonchi, wheezes, and pleural friction rubs.
Afterload
The force or resistance against which the heart pumps.
Alopecia
Abnormal hair loss.
Angina pectoris
Chest pain that results when the heart does not get enough oxygen.
Angle of Louis
Visible and palpable angulation between the sternum and manubrium; also referred to as the manubriosternal junction.
Anisocoria
A condition in which the pupils are unequal in size.
Apgar scoring system
A newborn’s first respiratory assessment. Measures the successful transition to extrauterine life. Standard parameters are scored at 1 minute and 5 minutes after the birth. Most babies get an 8-9.
Apnea
Absence of breathing.
Ataxia
Impaired ability to coordinate movement.
Atelectasis
Partial or total collapse of lung tissue.
Biot’s respirations
Irregular breathing with long periods of apnea from increase intracranial pressure and brain damage.
Bronchial breath sounds
High-pitched breath sounds normally heard over the trachea and the area around the manubrium; considered abnormal if heard anywhere over the posterior or lateral chest.
Buccal
Pertaining to the inside of the cheek.
Bulla
A large blister that is usually more than 1 cm in diameter. thin walled and ruptures easily. Examples: friction blister, pemphigus, burns, contact dermatitis.
Café au lait spot
Skin lesion the color of coffee with milk.
Cellulitis
Inflammation or infection of soft tissue under the skin.
Central venous pressure (CVP)
The pressure of blood in the thoracic vena cava, near the right atrium of the heart; reflects the amount of blood returning to the heart and the ability of the heart to pump the blood into the arterial system.
Cerumen
Another word for earwax.
Cherry angioma
A small, slightly raised, bright red area that typically appears on the face, neck, and trunk of the body. These increase in size and number with advanced age.
Cheyne-Stokes respirations
A pattern of alternating periods of hypopnea or apnea, followed by hyperpnea.
Circumscribed
Well-defined, limited, and encircled.
Claudication
Cramp-like pains in the lower leg caused by poor blood circulation to the lower leg muscle.
Clonus
Involuntary muscle contractions and relaxations.
Clubbing
A deformity of the fingers and fingernails associated with a number of diseases, mostly of the heart and lungs
Coarctation
Narrowing of the wall of a vessel as the aorta.
Confluent
Term for skin lesions that run together.
Conjunctiva
Delicate, clear membrane lining the eyelids and covering the eyeball.
Consensual reaction
The constriction of the pupil of one eye when a light is shone in the opposite eye.
Contralateral
On the opposite side of the body.
Contusion
Swelling, discoloration, and pain without a break in the skin (i.e., a bruise).
Corneal light reflex
Test performed by shining a light in the person’s eyes and observing where the light reflects off the corneas.
Costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness
Test in which pain is elicited by percussion of the area of the back overlying the kidney. The test is positive in people with an infection around the kidney, pyelonephritis, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, or renal stone.
Crackles
Fine crackling or bubbling sounds, commonly heard during inspiration when there is fluid in the alveoli; formerly called rales.
Dermatome
An area of the skin that is innervated by a single spinal nerve.
Diplopia
Double vision.
Dorsalis pedis
Pulse found on top of the foot.
Dyspnea
Difficulty breathing.
Edema
Abnormal accumulation of fluid in
interstitial spaces of tissues.
Epistaxis
Another word for nose bleed.
Erythema
Redness of the skin.
Excoriation
Skin sore or abrasion produced by scratching or scraping. Examples: insect bites, scabies, dermatitis, varicella.
Fissure
Linear crack in the skin.
Flank
Area of the back that overlies the kidneys.
Fontanel
Unossified space or soft spot lying between the cranial bones of an infant.
Foramen ovale
A small hole that connects the right atrium and left atrium, and normally closes after birth.
Gallop rhythm
The addition of a 3rd or a 4th heart sound makes the rhythm sound like the cadence of a galloping horse.
Glaucoma
Eye disease characterized by abnormally increased intraocular pressure caused by obstruction of the outflow of aqueous humor.
Guarding
Tensing of the abdominal wall muscles to guard inflamed organs within the abdomen from pain of pressure upon them. The tensing is detected when the abdominal wall is pressed.
Gynecomastia
Abnormal development of breast tissue in males.
Hard palate
Boney structure that forms the roof of the mouth.
Heave
Palpable, diffuse, sustained lift of the chest wall or a portion of the wall.
Hemangioma
A benign tumor made up of newly formed blood vessels.
Hemoptysis
Coughing up blood.
Hirsutism
Excessive hairiness on women in those parts of the body where terminal hair does not normally occur or is minimal — for example, a beard or chest hair.
Induration
Hardening of normally soft tissue or organs due to inflammation, infiltration of a neoplasm, or accumulation of blood.
Infarct
Localized area of tissue necrosis caused by prolonged anoxia.
Jaundice
A yellow discoloration of the skin, mucous membrane, and sclera caused by increased bilirubin in the blood.
Keloid
Hypertrophic scar tissue. Prevalent in nonwhite races.
Kussmaul respiration
Rapid deep respiration often associated with ketoacidosis.
Kyphosis
An abnormal increase in the outward curvature of the thoracic spine as viewed from the side.
Lanugo
Fine, downy, unpigmented hair that appears on the fetus in the last 3 months of development. Sometimes reappears with anorexia nervosa.
Lichenification
Thickening of the skin characterized by accentuated skin markings; often the result of chronic scratching.
Lordosis
Increase in the forward curvature of the lumbar spine.
Macule
A discolored, flat spot that is less than 1 cm in diameter. Examples: freckles, flat nevi, petechiae, measles.
Midclavicular line
Vertical line extending downward from the middle of the clavicle; used in assessment as an anatomic reference point.
Miosis
Constriction of the pupil.
Mydriasis
Dilation of the pupil.
Nares
Another word for nostrils.
Nodule
Solid skin elevation that extends into the dermal layer and that is 1 to 2 cm in diameter. Examples: xanthoma, fibroma, intradermal nevi.
Nystagmus
Involuntary rapid eye movements.
Orthopnea
Difficulty breathing when lying down.
Orthostatic hypotension
A fall in systolic blood pressure of at least 20 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of at least 10 mm Hg when a person assumes a standing position.
Otitis media
Middle ear infection.
Otorrhea
Discharge from the ear.
Otoscope
Instrument used to visually examine the external ear canal and tympanic membrane.
Palpebral fissure
The open space between the
eyelids.
Palpitation
Subjective experience of pounding, skipping, or racing heartbeats.
Papule
A discolored spot that is less than 1 cm in diameter that you can feel. Examples: mole, molluscum, wart.
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
Difficulty breathing that develops after lying down for several hours and causes the patient to awaken abruptly with a feeling of suffocation and panic.
Patch
Macules that are larger than 1 cm. Examples: Mongolian spot, vitiligo, café au lait spot.
Pectus carinatum
Abnormal prominence of the sternum.
Pectus excavatum
Abnormal depression of the sternum.
Peristalsis
Alternating contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscles of the intestinal tract to propel contents forward.
Petechiae
Tiny, flat purple or red spots on the surface of the skin resulting from minuscule hemorrhages within the dermal or submucosal layers.
Plaque
Papules that have coalesced to form a surface elevation wider than 1 cm. Examples: psoriasis, lichen planus.
Point of maximum impulse (PMI)
Area of the chest where the heartbeat is palpated strongest; usually the apical impulse, located in the fourth or fifth intercostal space along the midclavicular line.
Popliteal pulse
Pulse located deeply behind the knee and felt when knee is slightly bent.
Posterior tibial pulse
The pulse just behind the medial malleolus of the ankle.
Precordium
The area on the anterior chest directly overlying the heart and great vessels.
Preload
The amount of blood in the ventricles at end of diastole.
Pruritus
Another word for itching.
Ptosis
Drooping of the upper eyelid.
Pupillary light reflex
The constriction of a pupil in response to light.
Purpura
A general term for a hemorrhage into the tissue that is usually circumscribed. Lesions may be described as petechiae, ecchymoses, or hematomas, according to size.
Rebound tenderness
Pain felt when a hand pressing on the abdomen is suddenly released.
Red reflex
Red glow over the pupil created by light illuminating the retina.
Referred pain
Pain that is felt in a location other than where the pain originates.
Retraction
Drawing the skin backward. Caused by an increased work in breathing.
Rhinorrhea
Another word for runny nose.
Rhonchus
Loud, low-pitched, coarse sound similar to a snore heard on auscultation of an airway obstructed by thick secretions, muscular contraction, neoplasm, or external pressure.
Sclera
The white part of the eye.
Scleral icterus
Yellowing of the sclera due to
jaundice.
Senile purpura
Trauma to fragile vessels on dorsum of hands; normal finding in elderly.
Shotty node
Small lymph node that feels hard and nodular; generally movable and nontender; may show evidence of having been infected many times in the past.
Snellen E chart
Eye chart that can be used to measure visual acuity.
Soft palate
Tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth.
Steatorrhea
Passage of fat in large amounts in the feces due to failure to digest it.
Strabismus
Condition in which the eyes are not directed at the same object or point.
Striae
Another word for stretch marks.
Stridor
Shrill, harsh sound heard during inspiration and caused by laryngeal obstruction
Tail of Spence
Upper outer tail of the breast that extends into the axillary region.
Thrombophlebitis
Inflammation of a vein associated with a clot formation
Tinnitus
Ringing in ears.
Tumor
Lesion larger than a few centimeters in diameter, firm or soft, deeper into dermis; may be benign or malignant (although “tumor” implies “cancer” to most people). Examples: lipoma, hemangioma.
Turbinates
Extensions of the ethmoid bone located along the lateral wall of the nose; these fingerlike projections are covered with erectile mucosal membranes that become swollen or inflamed in response to allergy or viral invasion.
Turgor
Normal resiliency of the skin.
Urticaria (hives)
Wheals coalesced to form extensive reaction, intensely pruritic.
Vertigo
Another word for dizziness.
Vesicle
Fluid-filled, elevated, superficial lesion 1 cm or less in diameter. Clear serum flows if wall is ruptured. Examples: herpes simplex, early varicella (chickenpox), herpes zoster (shingles), contact dermatitis.
Vesicular breath sounds
Normal breath sounds heard over most of the lungs.
Visceral pain
A poorly localized, dull or diffuse pain that arises from the abdominal organs.
Wheal
Elevated, solid, transient lesion; often irregularly shaped but well demarcated. Examples: mosquito bite, allergic reaction.
Wheeze
High-pitched, musical noise that sounds like a squeak; heard during auscultation of a narrowed airway.
