Saturday, March 17, 2018

More medical jargon and terminology

Echinococcus: cyst-forming parasite, uncommon in the United States 
foley: a catheter for draining urinary bladder 
ground-glass opacity: homogenous, fine-grained opacification of lung areas on CT, held to correlate With inflammation or edema
 hemangioma: vascular tumor, usually purplish 
hemianopsia: loss of sight in half of an eye's visual field
 hemosiderosis: accumulation of heme pigments (blood breakdown products) in tissues 
heparin: blood thinner: for treatment of clotting, usually given intravenously, thus requires hospitalization (and sometimes affects platelet counts) 
herpes zoster: "shingles," painful rash from recurrent chicken pox in an adult, usually along a strip of skin 
histology: study Of microscopic Structure, usually in thin slices Of stained tissue (in pathology departments, histopathology is distinguished from cytopathology and from surgical pathology)
Hounsfield number: calculated density (named for one of CT's inventors) 
hypercoagulability: a tendency for flowing blood to clot too readily 
infarction: tissue death 
intercostal block: anesthetic injection near nerve between ribs to block pain sensation 
low molecular weight heparin: newer blood thinner (in 1997) administered by 
subcutaneous imcction—potentially at home—thus an attractive alternative to 
intravenous heparin 
MAI: Mycobacterium Avium Intracellulare, a T L -like organism 

mediastinum: central chest area, including heart and central vessels 
mesentery: a supportive tissue of bowel, including blood supply and fat 
metastases: secondary cancer lesions arising remotely (sometimes in a different 
Organ) from a primary cancer 
MRA: magnetic resonance angiogram 
nephrostomy: procedure to drain urinary outflow from an obstructed kidney 
orthostatic hypotension: drop in blood pressure With a postural shift to upright 
position 
paraneoplastic syndrome: a cluster of systemic effects associated with a neoplasm 
(cancer) 
percutaneous: through the skin 
peritoneal irritation: sign Of something in normally empty peritoneal space 
(surrounding abdominal viscera)—blood, fluid, air, pus, or bowel leakage 
platelets: blood particles involved in forming clots 
PML: Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, disease Of demyelinating brain 
lesions, usually at the gray-white junction, associated With JC viral infections, 
often in immunocompromised patients 
Pneumocystis: organism which can infect lungs and impair gas exchange 
pulmonary embolus: a clot that forms in a vein, breaks loose and travels through the 
venous system, through the right heart, to lodge in a pulmonary artery 


I'm afraid that further new terms continue to be introduced, many related to new information technology. Some are fairly obvious and have been included not just for the sake of completeness but just in case they need clarification. Beware quite often they are terms that have only a loose connection with their real meaning. You may need to check this out when you hear the expressions, but do not be surprised if the speaker is not aware of the correct meaning. The meaning may also relate to a specific connection. A few terms are attempts that have been made to transfer manu- facturing terminology to medical work. 

Abduction In clinical terms a form of logical inference commonly applied in the process of medical diagnosis. Given an observatlon, abduction generates all known causes. (See also deduction, induction, and Inference.
Absenteeism Absence from Work not authorised through appropri- 
ate channels. 
Access rate An estimate of the availability of facilities to people 
living in an identified locality, irrespective of Whcrc they arc 
treated. The measure is stated as discharges and deaths per 1000 
population. 
Accident Any unexpected or unforeseen occurrence, especially one 
that results in injury or damage. 
Accident and Emergency (ARE) nc• title given to the hospital depart- 
mcnt prcviously tcrmcd 'Casualty' and now frequently called 
'Emergency'. Accident and Emergency patient may be 
brought by ambulance or car, or may arrive on foot. 
Accident report A written report of an accident. The format of the 
report is laid down in health and safety legislation. 
Accommodation (children) Being provided With accommodation 
replaces the Old voluntary care concept. It refers to a service that 
the local authority provides for the parents of children in need, 
and for their children, A child is not in carc When they arc being 
provided With accommodation. Nevertheless, the local authority 
has a number of duties towards children for whom it is provid- 
ing accommodation, including the duty to discover thc child's 
wishes regarding the provision of accommodation, and to give them proper consideration. 
Accountability Being answerable for one's decisions and actions. 
Accountability cannot be delegated. 
Added value A measure of productivity expressed in terms Of the 
financial value of an item as a result of workforce. Often used 
loosely in the NHS. 
Adolescents Young people in the process of moving from childhood 
to adulthood. Because of their age, adolescents may have special 
needs as patients. 
Adoption Total transfer of parental responsibility from the child's 
natural parents to the adopters. 
Advance care planning The process of discussing the treatment and 
care a patient would or would not wish to receive in the event that 
they lose capacity to decide or arc unable to express a preference. 
This might include their preferred place of care and who they 
would like to be involved in making decisions on their behalf. 
Advance decision (England and Wales) or advance directive (Scotland) A 
statement of a patient's wish to rcfusc a particular treatment or 

care if they become unable to make or communicate decisions for 


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