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.