A-C
AKA
What is an above the knee amputation?
ER or ED
What is the Emergency Room or Emergency Department?
These are the same thing. Different hospitals use different terminology.
Port
What is a porta-cath, aka as a medi-port, an implanted device in one's upper chest, about the size of a nickel, used to access (with a needle present) a patient's IV device.
RLQ
What is the right lower quadrant?
Straight Cath
What is the act of inserting a small tube into one's urethra to drain urine, then take it out as soon as the urine is drained from the bladder?
What is a tube inserted through the chest wall that connects to a cannister used to drain blood, air, or pus?
H&P
What is a history and physical?
When a patient comes to the hospital, the H&P is the big report first written about them by the providers outlining past medical history, signs and symptoms present on admission, admission findings, primary diagnosis and secondary problems being addressed during this admission with the plan.
qid
What is four times a day?
RUQ
What is the right upper quadrant?
2 Asst.
What is the need to be aided by two people (with or without an assistive device) when transferring or ambulating to maintain balance and remain upright?
Colostomy
What is a stomal opening created in one's large intestines that is routed through the lower abdomen to drain fecal matter into a pouch?
MRI
What is Magnetic Resonance Imaging?
Using magnetic fields and radio waves, this is a very detailed imaging technique to look inside the body.
What is pneumonia?
RLE
What is the right lower extremity?
Tailored Code
What is the code status that is some combination but not all of the following should one's heart stop: compressions, medication, defibrillation, artificial airway.
CMO
What is a code status that means no interventions whatsoever that do anything but bring comfort to the patient?
Used in end of life care.
MI
What is a myocardial infarction?
Everybody outside the hospital calls this a heart attack.
Pleurex Catheter
What is a small tube placed just outside the lung or the abdomen to drain fluid?
ROM
What is range of motion?
XR
What is the abbreviation for x-ray?
May be done in an x-ray room or some x-rays can be done at bedside.
CT
What is computed tomography scan?
This is a stack of 2-D x-rays, using computer technology that give a more 3-D view of the tissue inside the body. It used to be called a CAT scan. Both are correct, but CT is used more commonly these days.
NSAID
What is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory?
Some pain meds work by decreasing inflammation, like aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen. The problem with these meds is that they are not without side-effects, the most significant of which is that they are notorious for causing ulcers, leading to internal bleeding.
O2
What is oxygen?
The 2 in O2 refers to the fact that one oxygen molecule is never found alone, because they share a chemical bond.
Rx
What is the abbreviation for medication?
Semi-Fowler's
What is the position in which one is lying in bed with the HOB elevated only slightly, between 30-45 degrees?
People with breathing difficulty, spinal curvature, or aspiration precautions benefit from being placed in this position.