Medical Overview Def
The general type of illness a patient is experiencing
Nature of Illness (NOI)
The amount of medication given on the basis of the patient's size and age
Dose
A substance that causes an allergic reaction
Allergen
The main artery, which receives blood from the left ventricle and delivers it to all the other arteries that carry blood to the tissues of the body
Aorta
A disorder in which abnormal electrical charges occur in the brain, causing seizures and possible loss of consciousness
Epilepsy
A disease that can be spread from one person to another
Communicable Disease
Conditions that make a particular medication or treatment inappropriate because it would not help, or may actually harm, a patient
Contraindications
A condition in which chronically low levels of oxygen in the blood stimulate the respiratory drive; seen in patients with chronic lung disease
Hypoxic Drive
The ability of cardiac muscle cells to contract without stimulation from the nervous system
Automaticity
A fainting spell or transient loss of consciousness
syncope
Awareness that unseen life-threatening injuries or illnesses may exist
Index of Suspicion
A mixture of ground particles that are distributed evenly throughout a liquid but do not dissolve
Suspension
A miniature spray canister used to direct medications through the mouth and into the lungs
Metered-Dose Inhaler (MDI)
A disorder in which the heart loses part o its ability to effectively pump blood, usually as a result of damage to the heart muscle and usually resulting in a backup of fluid into the lungs
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
A type of stroke that occurs from bleeding inside the brain
Hemorrhagic Stroke
An inflammation of the meningeal coverings of the brain and spinal cord; it is usually caused by a virus or a bacterium
Meningitis
Inappropriate use of a medication that could lead to patient harm
Medication Error
Virus that has crossed the animal/human barrier and has infected humans, recently reaching a pandemic level with the H1N1 strain
Influenza Type A
A condition in which the inner layers of on artery, such as the aorta, become separated, allowing blood (at high pressures) to flow between the layers
Dissecting Aneurysm
In interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called a stroke
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
A bacterium that can cause infections in different parts of the body and is often resistant to commonly used antibiotics; it is transmitted by different routes, including the respiratory route, and can be found on the skin, in surgical wounds, in the bloodstream, lungs, and urinary tract
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
A device that is used to change a liquid medication into a spray and push it into a nostril
Mucosal Atomizer Device (MAD)
Normal breath sounds made by air moving in and out of the alveoli
Vesticular Breath Sounds
A group of symptoms caused by myocardial ischemia; includes angina and myocardial infarction
Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)
Weakness of one side of the body
Hemiparesis