Miscellaneous Terms Flashcards
(45 cards)
afferent
conducting or conducted inward or toward something
apical pulse
a pulse taken on the left side of the chest over the pointed end, or apex, of the heart
articular
of or relating to a joint
auscultation
a method of physical assessment that involves listening with a stethoscope; the body parts that are often listened to are the heart, lungs, and bowels
basic methods of physical assessment
a set of methods used during the physical assessment; they are inspection, auscultation, palpation, and percussion
brachial pulse
a pulse taken on the front part of the upper arm, above the elbow area
computerized tomography
a scan that combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body and that uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images (slices) of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside your body; also called computed tomography
contralateral
relating to or denoting the side of the body opposite to that on which a particular structure or condition occurs
dorsalis pedis pulse
a pulse taken on the top of the foot, between the ankle and toes
efferent
conducted or conducting outward or away from something
femoral pulse
a pulse taken on the upper sides of the pubic hair area
fremitus
in common medical usage, it usually refers to assessment of the lungs by either the vibration intensity felt on the chest wall (tactile fremitus) or that heard by a stethoscope on the chest wall with certain spoken words (vocal fremitus); there are several additional types of fremitus test
inspection
a method of physical assessment that involves seeing, hearing, and smelling
oblique plane
a plane or cut of the body that is neither horizontal nor vertical; in other words, a line that’s at an angle; a term not often used as it is confusing
palpation
a method of physical assessment that involves touching with different amounts of pressure; this part often involves testing for skin turgor, fremitus, and often taking the pulse at the heart, arm, thighbone (femur), and foot
percussion
a method of physical assessment that involves tapping, especially tapping over areas of the body that are normally hollow (such as the chest or abdomen)
physical assessment
an evaluation of the health of the patient at the time of the examination; it consists of a variety of methods to determine what state the body is in
skin turgor
a measure of the elasticity of the skin
analgesia
loss of sensation of pain
deformans
a term that means misshapen
ethmoid bone
a square bone at the root of the nose, forming part of the cranium, and having many perforations through which the olfactory nerves pass to the nose
gravis
a term that means severe
physiatrist
a person who practices physiatry (warning: do not confuse with psychiatrist)
physiatry
also called physical medicine; the scientific field that involves diagnosis and treatment of disease or injury with the use of physical agents, such as exercise, heat, massage, and light (warning: do not confuse with ‘psychiatry’)
