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Medical Terminology
Frequently asked questions
General
An arterial line is a thin, flexible tube that is placed into an artery, commonly in the wrist or the groin. It helps your doctors and nurses check your blood pressure and take blood samples. It is used in operating rooms and intensive care units (ICUs). You may hear it called an "art-line" or "A-line."
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A pattern of attraction toward both males and females, or to more than one sex or gender. A bisexual identity does not necessarily equate to equal sexual attraction to both sexes; commonly, people who have a distinct but not exclusive sexual preference for one sex over the other also identify themselves as bisexual.
A semi-solid mass of blood cells and other substances that form in your blood vessels. Blood clots protect you from bleeding too much if you’re injured or have surgery. However, you may develop blood clots for other reasons, such as having certain medical conditions. When that happens, blood clots may cause symptoms and can be life-threatening.
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The fluid pressure generated by the heart squeezing blood into your arteries, making blood flow continuously in a forward direction through the arteries in your body, thereby delivering oxygen and nutrients to your organs. It is normal for your blood pressure to vary throughout the day and with activity.
Also a central venous catheter; a catheter placed into a large vein as a form of venous access. Placement of larger catheters in more centrally located veins is often needed in critically ill people, or in those requiring prolonged treatment. These catheters are commonly placed in veins in the neck (internal jugular vein), chest (subclavian vein or axillary vein), groin (femoral vein), or through veins in the arms (also known as a PICC line, or peripherally inserted central catheters).
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services performed by a certified clergy member who provides spiritual care for individuals in a non-religious organization, rather than a church congregation. Chaplains can work in healthcare, hospice, or government facilities.
Chaplains are spiritual and pastoral counselors who work with people and their families to access spiritual strength and resources. Chaplains offer care and support when people and their families search for meaning in the midst of illness and hospitalization.
Resources to assist with any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation"; or "An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm."
This definition of child abuse and neglect refers to parents and other caregivers. A "child" under this definition means a person who is younger than age 18 or who is not an emancipated minor. Federal law has created guidance. State or territory laws have further delineation.
Designed to help women access accurate and up to date information about childbirth and make informed decisions about their care. Exposure to evidence-based information about maternity care practices should assist women to make informed decisions that are based on that evidence.
Their purpose is to reduce fear of the unknown and let couples focus on the joy of the birth experience. Though you can't 'control' birth, taking classes will help you feel prepared and supported to make your treasured memories of the birth experience.
A chronic illness is a long-term health condition that may not have a cure. Examples of chronic illnesses are: Alzheimer disease and dementia, arthritis, asthma, cancer, COPD, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, endometriosis, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), HIV/AIDS, migraine, mood disorders (bipolar, cyclothymic, and depression), multiple sclerosis, narcolepsy, Parkinson disease.
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The surgical removal of the skin covering the tip of the penis; this is fairly common for newborn boys in certain parts of the world, including the United States; for some families, circumcision is a religious ritual, but can also be a matter of family tradition, personal hygiene or preventive health care.
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Cognitive refers to intellect: people with cognitive differences often take longer to complete academic tasks than people with typical cognitive function and can have difficulty focusing.
Behavioral refers to how a person acts, due to their emotions; in this case differences refers to people whose actions may be harmful to themselves or people around them without support or assistance.
A term coined by health insurers to describe a handful of the most common health situations that result in prolonged hospitalization or ICU care. “Critical-illness plans often cover diseases like cancer, organ transplant, heart attack, stroke, renal failure, and paralysis, among others. There is no coverage if you're diagnosed with a disease that isn't on the specific list for your plan, and the list of covered illnesses varies from one plan to another.”
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An umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups. Culture is often originated from or attributed to a specific region or location.
It can include the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. also: the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time.
This is a general term referring to several processes of balancing the body’s normal chemistry and removing toxins from the blood. Usually the kidneys do this job, but when they stop working, either temporarily or permanently, there are devices that can clean the blood and balance the body’s chemistry.
Hemodialysis is the process of removing blood from the body and running it through a machine that works like a kidney (cleans/balances) and then returns the blood back into the body through IV tubes.
Peritoneal dialysis is a process where the abdomen is filled with fluid through a surgically implanted tube. The fluid works slowly to absorb toxins and balance the body’s chemistry, and after a period of time (6 to 8 hours) is drained back out of the abdomen.
Any of these processes must be repeated every one to two days until either a person’s kidneys start working again or a new kidney is surgically implanted. Without working kidneys or dialysis toxins build up, usually resulting in death within two weeks.
Extra-corporeal Membrane Oxygenation; a machine or series of machines that removes blood from a person’s body through large tubes entering and exiting the body, that removes carbon dioxide, and adds oxygen, then returns the blood to the person.
This process is only used when a person’s heart and/or lungs are unable to do the normal work of breathing and/or pumping blood to get oxygen to all of your organs and tissue, typically when a person is near death.
A service that supports informed, deliberative decision making on the part of people receiving care, families, physicians, and the health care team.
By helping to clarify ethical issues and values, facilitating discussion, and providing expertise and educational resources, ethics consultants promote respect for the values, needs, and interests of all participants, especially when there is disagreement or uncertainty about treatment decisions.
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Sexual fluidity is one or more changes in sexuality or sexual identity. Sexual orientation is stable and unchanging for the vast majority of people, but some research indicates that some people may experience change in their sexual orientation, and this is slightly more likely for women than for men.
Is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member approved by the state.
The placement of a "foster child" is normally arranged through the government or a social service agency.
Typically reflects a person's gender identity(their internal sense of their own gender), but this is not always the case. Gender expression is separate and independent both from sexual orientation and sex assigned at birth.
Gender expression is how a person publicly presents their gender. This can include behavior and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A person's chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender.
A place for people in their last phase of life, when treatment in a hospital is not necessary and care at home or in a nursing home is not possible. The central aims of this service are the relief of suffering and achieving the best possible quality of life until death, as well as bereavement support for your family.
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Physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of a person by their partner or spouse.It can refer to both current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV can vary in how often it happens and how severe it is.
It is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and controlling behaviors by an intimate partner.
A battery-operated, mechanical pump, which then helps the left ventricle (main pumping chamber of the heart) pump blood to the rest of the body; used for people who have reached end-stage heart failure, either as a tool to help until they can get a heart transplant, or as an extreme effort to support heart function in the hopes of improved function over time.
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In Native Hawaiian and Tahitian cultures are third gender people with traditional spiritual and social roles within the culture, similar to Tongan fakaleiti and Samoan fa'afafine.
Historically the term Māhū referred to people assigned male at birth (AMAB), but in modern usage Māhū can refer to a variety of genders and sexual orientations
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Mechanical ventilation is a type of therapy that helps you breathe or breathes for you when you can’t breathe on your own. You might be on a ventilator during surgery or if your lungs aren’t working properly.
Mechanical ventilation keeps your airways open, delivers oxygen and removes carbon dioxide.
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Describes a person's ability to a make a decision. In a medical context, capacity refers to the ability to utilize information about an illness and proposed treatment options to make a choice that is congruent with one's own values and preferences. Capacity is defined around a specific medical decision; individuals may have capacity in one clinical context but not in another and vice versa. It is the ability for one to make his/her own decisions by being able to understand all the information needed to make that decision, use or think about that information, remember that information, and communicate the decision to someone else.
The capacity to make one's own decisions is fundamental to the ethical principle of respect for autonomy and is a key component of informed consent to medical treatment. Determining whether an individual has adequate capacity to make decisions is therefore an inherent aspect of all conversations between a person and their health care provider.
The main determinant of capacity is the ability to think clearly and rationally, and any condition or treatment that affects this may potentially impair decision-making capacity. In the presence of cognitive impairment from any cause, determining whether someone has adequate capacity is critical to striking the proper balance between respecting their autonomy and acting in a person’s best interest. A skillful capacity assessment can also help determine the severity of a person’s cognitive impairments and improve the effectiveness of conversations with people and their families.
Institutions certified by a state to offer 24-hour medical and skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, or health-related services to individuals who do not require hospital care. Nursing facility services are mandatory benefits that must be covered by all state Medicaid programs.
Nursing facility services are the second-largest category of Medicaid spending (after hospital services), and Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing facility care in the country.
States have broad flexibility to determine payments to nursing facilities. Federal rules do not prescribe how nursing facilities should be paid or how much they should be paid, but require that Medicaid payment policies should promote efficiency, economy, quality, access, and safeguard against unnecessary utilization.
Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people of all genders, or regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people might refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determining factors in their romantic or sexual attraction to others.
Non-medical liaisons who advocate open communication among people receiving care, their families and the entire health care team. They help people and families in a variety of ways, including answering questions or requests, explaining hospital policies, and communicating and resolving hospital-related concerns.
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A small, soft plastic tube that drains urine from the kidney. The tube starts at your kidney and comes out the side of your lower back. You may need this tube placed if you have a blockage that prevents urine from draining out of the kidney.
The tube relieves pressure from urine that has backed up into the kidney, which can cause pain or damage to the kidney if it is not relieved.
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Encompassing or characterized by many different kinds of sexuality"; sexual attraction to many, but not all, genders. Those who use the term may be doing so as a replacement for the term bisexual.
Major monotheistic religions generally prohibit polysexual activity, but some religions incorporate it into their practices. It is also considered to be another word for bisexuality however unlike bisexuals, polysexuals aren't necessarily attracted to people of the same gender.
Services that address post-intensive care syndrome, or PICS. (PICS is made up of health problems that remain after critical illness has resolved. They are often present when someone is in the ICU and may persist after the person returns home. These problems can involve the person’s body, thoughts, feelings, or mind and may affect the family.
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A plan to reduce or relive pain caused by a surgical procedure. This may include discomfort in the back and neck due to laying on the operating table or pain directly related to an incision site. Treatments for post-surgical pain may include medications and other approaches such as using heat, ice, guided imagery, and relaxation.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real disorder that develops when a person has experienced or witnessed a scary, shocking, terrifying, or dangerous event. These stressful or traumatic events usually involve a situation where someone’s life has been threatened or severe injury has occurred.
Symptoms may include: Flashbacks, or feeling like the event is happening again, trouble sleeping or nightmares, feeling alone or detached from others, losing interest in activities, having angry outbursts or other extreme reactions, feeling worried, guilty, or sad, frightening thoughts, having trouble concentrating, having physical pain like headaches or stomach aches, avoidance of memories, thoughts, or feelings about what closely associated with traumatic events, problems remembering, negative beliefs about themselves or others, irritability, feeling very vigilant, startling easily.
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Also called “pressure ulcers” or “bed sores” - Injury to skin and underlying tissue resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin. People most at risk are those with a condition that limits their ability to change positions.
Bed sores often develop on the heels, ankles, hips, and tailbone. They can develop quickly. Bed sores can be difficult to treat. Treatment includes cleaning and dressing the wound along with reducing pressure on the sore by frequent changes in position.
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Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations include, but are not limited to, individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, queer, and/or intersex. Individuals with same-sex or -gender attractions or behaviors and those with a difference in sex development are also included.
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Refers to one's self-perception in terms of romantic or sexual attraction towards others; may also refer to sexual orientation identity, which is when people identify or dis-identify with asexual orientation or choose not to identify with a sexual orientation.
Sexual identity and sexual behavior are closely related to sexual orientation, but they are distinguished, with identity referring to an individual's conception of themselves, behavior referring to actual sexual acts performed by the individual, and sexual orientation referring to romantic or sexual attractions toward persons of a different sex or gender, the same sex or gender, to both sexes or more than one gender, or to no one.
A person's identity in relation to the gender or genders to which they are sexually attracted; the fact of being heterosexual, homosexual, etc.
It is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction(or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generally subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, while asexuality (the lack of sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth category.
After the cord is cut, the baby is be moved up to the mother’s chest; this contact causes a release in oxytocin—known as the ‘love hormone’—in the mother; this helps the uterus contract, which reduces bleeding, and also warms up the mother’s body, which comforts the baby and results in less crying and lower rates of low blood sugar in the baby.
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A procedure that is performed to remove fluid or air from the chest, either to diagnose a problem or treat a problem. A needle or small tube is inserted into the chest cavity and fluid is removed. Thoracentesis is also known as thoracocentesis, pleural tap, needle thoracostomy, or needle decompression.
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When an individual chooses not to label their sexual identity. This identification could stem from one's uncertainty about their sexuality or their unwillingness to conform to a sexuality because they do not necessarily like labels, or they wish to feel free in their attractions instead of feeling forced into same, other, both, or all attractions because of their sexual identity.
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