Don't Hate, Abbreviate
If your patient has hypertension, you'll likely write down these 3 letters for abbreviation in your report.
What is HTN?
Also a nickname for when you get sleepy after eating a lot of food, this suffix lets you know the condition has to do with inflammation.
What is -itis?
Death resulting from soft-tissue injury is often related to this.
What is hemorrhage or infection?
Shock at its fundamental core, is and is caused by, this.
What is hypoperfusion, or inadequate cellular perfusion?
A "heart attack" is another name for this syndrome.
What is myocardial infarction? (written as MI, bonus points if you called it.)
In patient assessment, CRT stands for this.
What is capillary refill time?
With skin cancer being a common example of this, what is the suffix for a condition relating to a tumor?
What is -oma?
Barotrauma, commonly seen in blast injury victims, refers to these.
What are injuries as a result from sudden or extreme changes in air pressure?
This is how you aggressively treat shock early.
What is providing oxygen and keeping the patient warm?
COPD can be broken down into these two types.
What are emphysema and chronic bronchitis?
WOB stands for this.
What is work of breathing?
-Phasia is the suffix for this difficulty a patient might have.
What is difficulty with speech?
You're doing a rapid assessment on a burn patient and come across a burn that exposes muscle. The patient reports that it doesn't really hurt, which helps confirm this degree of burn.
What is a 3rd degree burn?
If the patient's pulse pressure is below this number, they're probably in shock.
What is 25?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is also known as this.
What is GERD?
HPI is the abbreviation for this note you might find on an EMT's report.
What is History of Present Illness?
This suffix pertains to the condition of blood or the presence of a substance in the blood.
What is -emia?
Secondary blast injuries are injuries caused by this.
What is being struck by flying debris from the force of the blast?
Oxygenation values on a pulse oximeter might be inaccurate when a patient is in shock due to this mechanism that the body uses to reach homeostasis.
What is vasoconstriction?
This condition means shortness of breath brought on by lung or heart problems, and is noted as DOE if it happens during physical activity.
What is dyspnea?
RTS stands for this.
What is a Revised Trauma Score?
-rrhagia and -rrhage are two suffixes that mean this condition.
What is abnormal or excessive flow or discharge?
You're talking with a burn patient during their assessment. At this point, you've addressed their chief complaint, given them thermal regulation, irrigated burns, and dressed the wounds you see.
They're speaking in clear sentences, breathing is bilateral and regular, they are A&O x 4, their heart rate is a bit elevated, and now upon closer inspection you notice some soot in their nostrils. Your main concern now is most likely this.
What is airway viability, swelling, and/or assessment?
This protein in red blood cells is vital in capturing oxygen for perfusion.
What is hemoglobin?
Also known as End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in its final stage, without a transplant this condition requires dialysis and you'll likely find the afflicted patient with a fistula in their arm.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?