Medicine has lots of terms for typical, common knowledge words relating to illness and disease as well as terms for advanced medicine and specialities. Hopefully this page of medical terms and their meanings helps improve your medical terminology and expand your understanding of medicine.
Abrasion – open injury caused by rubbing or scraping of the skin
Anaphylaxis – serious, life-threatening allergic reaction
Aneurysm – weakening of an artery wall that creates a bulge of the artery
Angina – pain in the chest related to the heart
Aphasia – condition that impairs one’s ability to communicate (write, speak, and understand language)
Apnea – absence of breathing
Arrhythmia (aka dysrhythmia) – abnormal heartbeat
Asphyxiation – lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain
Asystole – cessation of electrical and mechanical activity of the heart (non-shockable)
Bilateral – affecting both sides of the body
Bradycardia – slow heart rate
Bradypnea – slow breathing rate
Contraindication – reason to withhold a particular treatment or procedure
Crackles – bubbly/crackling inspirational sounds due to liquid in alveoli
Cricoid pressure – technique used in endotracheal intubation to try to reduce the risk of regurgitation
Cyanosis – bluish discoloration of the skin
Diaphoresis – sweating
Diastole – when the heart muscle relaxes
Drug Action – biochemical process through which a drug produces its effect
Dyspnea – difficult or labored breathing
Edema – swelling
Embolism – blockage of an artery
Emesis – vomit
Epistaxis – nose bleed
Evisceration – removal of viscera (internal organs, especially those in the abdominal cavity)
Fowler’s position – position in which the head of the patient’s bed is raised 45 to 60 degrees
Head-tilt/chin-lift – procedure used to prevent the tongue obstructing the upper airways
Heimlich maneuver – first-aid procedure for dislodging an obstruction from a person’s windpipe
Hemoglobin – protein in the red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen
Hematoma – collection of blood outside of blood vessels
Hemostasis – the stopping of blood flow
Hernia – protrusion of part of an organ through the muscle that surrounds it
Hyperglycemia- high blood sugar level (above 140 mg/dL)
Hypertension – high blood pressure (above 140/90)
Hyperthermia – a dangerously overheated body, usually in response to prolonged, hot, humid weather
Hypoglycemia – low blood sugar level (below 60 mg/dL)
Hypotension – low blood pressure (below 90/60)
Hypothermia – when the body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature
Hypoxia – Insufficient oxygen supply to tissues
Incontinence – lack of control over urination or defecation
Indication – reason to use/do a particular treatment or procedure
Inguinal – relating to or near the groin
Ischemia – deficient supply of oxygen in tissues due to a restriction in blood supply
Jaw-thrust maneuver – method used for opening the airway in unconscious patients
Laceration – a wound that is produced by the tearing of soft body tissue (often irregular and jagged)
Lacrimation – tears
Nasal cannula – device used to deliver supplemental oxygen or increased airflow to a patient or person in need of respiratory help
Non-rebreather mask – device which administers high-flow oxygen
PEA (pulseless electrical activity) – cardiac arrest in which the ECG shows electrical activity in the heart, but the pt has no palpable pulse (non-shockable)
Pelvis – bone structure near the base of the spine to which the legs are attached
Perfusion – passage of fluid through the circulatory system or lymphatic system to an organ or a tissue
Peristalsis – involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine
Prone- lying face downward
Polydipsia – abnormal thirst
Polyphagia – excessive eating
Polyuria – excessive urination
Pulmonary – relating to the lungs
Recovery position – three-quarters prone position (used for unconscious but breathing patients)
Rhonchi – low pitch, snoring/rattling sounds
Semi-Fowler’s position – position in which the head of the patient’s bed is raised 30 to 45 degrees
Sepsis – infection
Sniffing position – a position of patient placement that provides neutral alignment of the cervical spine by placing padding under the child’s shoulders
Supine – lying face upward
Syncope – fainting
Systole – when the heart muscle contracts
Tachycardia – fast heart rate
Tachypnea – fast breathing rate
Thrombosis – formation of a blood clot (thrombus) within a blood vessel
Traction splint – a rigid immobilization device applied to a femur fracture to pull the bones back in alignment and reduce the bleeding
Tripod position – a position of leaning forward and supporting weight on the hands and arms (often seen in asthmatic patients)
Vasoconstriction – constriction of blood vessels, which increases blood pressure
Vasodilation – dilation of blood vessels, which decreases blood pressure
Ventricular fibrillation – life-threatening arrhythmia which produces an irregular heartbeat (shockable)
Ventricular tachycardia – arrhythmia which produces a rapid, abnormal heartbeat (shockable)
Wheezing – high pitch sounds in lower airways