Medical Terminology
What's the meaning of the combining form "cardi/o"?
Heart
A cross-country runner who is dehydrated would probably have ___ blood pressure.
Low (hypotension)
What is "hypertension"?
Convert 2.5 liters to milliliters.
2500 mL
What does "tachycardia" mean?
Fast heart rate
What injury involves stretching or tearing of ligaments?
Sprain
What is the difference between acute and chronic disease?
Acute is of rapid onset and short duration; chronic is long-lasting or recurrent over time.
A patient weighs 110 pounds. How many kilograms is that?
110 ÷ 2.2 = 50 kg
If a suffix is "-itis", what does it indicate?
Inflammation
Which of the following is not a lateral ankle ligament: anterior talofibular, calcaneofibular, deltoid ligament?
Deltoid ligament
Explain what “ischemia” means.
Reduced blood supply (and thus oxygen) to tissues
A patient must receive 250 mg of a drug, but the tablets are 125 mg each. How many tablets should be given?
2 tablets
Break down the term “osteoporosis” and explain what it means.
Osteo– = bone
–porosis = porous / condition of pores
→ Osteoporosis means a condition where bones become weak and brittle due to loss of bone density.
Explain the difference between a heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Heat exhaustion = body overheated but still able to cool itself; symptoms include heavy sweating, dizziness, and weakness.
Heat stroke = body’s temperature regulation fails, causing dangerously high internal temperature (>104°F), no sweating, confusion, or unconsciousness; it’s a medical emergency.
What is “myocardial infarction”?
Heart attack — death of cardiac muscle tissue due to lack of blood supply
A prescription reads “Give 15 mg/kg of drug X.” The patient weighs 44 lb. How many milligrams should be administered?
44 ÷ 2.2 = 20 kg → 15 × 20 = 300 mg
What does the suffix “-ectomy” indicate, and how does it differ from “-otomy”?
“-ectomy” = surgical removal (ex: appendectomy)
“-otomy” = surgical incision or cutting into (ex: tracheotomy).
So “-ectomy” removes something, while “-otomy” just opens it.
1) Check responsiveness and breathing 2) Call for help/activate EMS and get an AED
3) Begin CPR (30 compressions to 2 breaths)
4) Use AED as soon as it arrives and follow its prompts until emergenecy personnel take over.
What’s the difference between a benign and malignant tumor?
Benign: non-cancerous, does not spread, usually slower growing.
Malignant: cancerous, invades nearby tissues and can metastasize to other parts of the body.
A 1 g vial of medication is reconstituted with 9 mL of sterile water to yield a concentration of 100 mg/mL. How many mL would you draw up for a 250 mg dose?
250 ÷ 100 = 2.5 mL