Acetaminophen

an analgesic that
resuces pain and
fever but does not
relieve inflammation

Albuminuria
the presence of
serum protein
albumin in the urine,
which is a sign of
impaired kidney
function

Analgesic
the class of drugs that
relieves pain without
affecting
conscieousness

Antipyretic
medication
administered to
prevent or reduce
fever

Arthrocentesis
a surgical puncture of
the joint space to
remove synovial fluid

pleura, heart, and

abdomen

cross-sectional views
of the body

Bacteriuria

Contraindication

the presence of
bacteria in the urine

a factor in the
patient's condition
that makes the use of
particular medication
dangerous or ill
advised

Bruit
an abnormal sound
heard during of
auscultation of an
artery. these sounds
are usually due to a
partially blocked,
narrowed, or diseased
artery

Calciuria
the presence of
calcium in the urine

Compliance
the patient's
consistency and
accuracy in following
the regimen
prescribed by a
physician or other
health care
professional

Auscultation

Computed
Tomography

listening through a
stethoscope for
sounds within the
body to determine the
condition of the lungs,

a thin fan-shaped xray beam that rotates

around the patient to
produce multiple

Creatinuria
increased
concentration of
creatine in the urine

Echocardiography
an ultrasonic
diagnostic procedure
used to evaluate the
structures and motion
of the heart

Endoscope
the fiber optic
instrument used for
endoscopy

Fluoroscopy
used to visualize body
parts in motion by
projecting x-ray
images on a luminous
fluorescent screen

Glycosuria

The presence of
glucose in the urine

Hematocrit
the percentage, by
volume, of a blood
sample occupied by
red cells

Hematuria
the presence of blood
in the urine

Intravenous injection
an injection made
directly into a vein

Ketonuria
the presence of
ketones in the urine,
which may indicate
starvation or
uncontrolled diabetes

Laparoscopy

Hyperthermia

the direct visual

examination of the
interior of the
abdomen

an abormally high
body temperature

Hypothermia
an abormally low
body temperature

Idiosyncratic Reaction
an unexpected
reaction to a drug

Intradermal injection
an injection made into
the middle layers of
the skin

Intramuscular
injection
an injection made
directly into the
muscle tissue

an instrument used to
examine the interior
of the eye

Otoscope
an instrument used to
visually examine the
external ear canal
and tympanic
membrane

Palliative
a substance that
eases the pain or
severity of a disease
but does not cure it

Parenteral

the patient is supine

with the feet and legs
raised and supported
in stirrups

the term meaning

taken into the body,
or administered, in a
manner other than
through the digestive
tract

Magnetic resonance
imaging

Percussion

Lithotomy position

uses a combination of
radio waves and a
strong magnetic field
to create signals that
are sent to a
computer and
converted into
images of any plane
through the body

Ophthalmoscope

a diagnostic
procedure to
determine the density
of a body area by the
sound produced by
tapping the surface
with the finger or
instrument

Perfusion
the flow of blood
through an organ


Pericardiocentesis
the drawing of fluid
from the percardial
sac

Phlebotomist
an individual trained
and skilled in
phlebotomy

Phlebotomy

increased by another
drug

Prone position
the patient is lying on
the belly with the face
down

Proteinuria
an excess of serum
protein in the urine,
which is usually a sign
of kidney disease

puncture of a vein for

the purpose of
drawing blood

the presence of pus in

the urine

Placebo
a substance
containing no active
ingredients that is
given for its
suggestive effects

Positron emission
tomography
combines
tomography with
readonuclide tracers
to produce enhanced
images of selected
body organs or areas

Potentiation
a drug interaction
that occurs when the
effect of one drug is

Pyuria

Radiolucent
a contrast medium
such as air that allows
x-rays to pass
through and appear
black or dark grey on
the resulting film

Radiopaque
a contrast medium
such as barium
sulfate that does not
allow x-rays to pass
through and appears
white or light grey on
the resulting film

Rale

an abnormal rattle or
crackle-like
respiratory sound
heard during
inspiration

Recumbent
any position in which
the patient is lying
down. this can be on
the back, front, or
side

Rhonchus
an abnormal sound
heard while listening
to the chest during
inspiration, expiration
or both. These
sounds, are caused
are partial obstuction
of the airway

Sims' position
the patient is lying on
the left side with teh
right knee and thigh
drawn up and the left
arm placed along the
back

Single photon
emission computed
tomography
a nuclear imaging
technique in which
pictures are taken by
one to three gamma
cameras after a
radioculide tracer has

been injected into the

blood

Speculum
an instrument used to
enlarde the opening
of any canal or cavity
to make it possible to
inspect its interior

Sphygmomanometer
an instrument used to
measure blood
pressure

Stethoscope
an instrument used to
listen to sounds
within the body and
during the
measurement of
blood pressure

during inspiration that

results from a partial
blockage of the
pharynx, larynx, and
trachea

Subcutaneous
injection
an injection made into
the fatty layer just
below the skin

Thoracentesis
puncture of the chest
wall with a needle to
obtain fluid from the
pleural cavity for
diagnostic purposes,
to drain pleural
effusions, or to
reexpand a collapsed
lung

Transdermal

Stridor

attaching a patch to
the unbroken skin so
that the medication
can be absorbed into
the tissues

an abnormal, highpitched, harsh or

crowing sound heard

Transesophageal
echocardiography
an ultrasonic imaging
technique, performed
through the
esophagus, to
evaluate heart
structures

Ultrasonography
imaging of deep body
structures by
recording the echoes
of pulses or sound
waves above the
range of human
hearing

Urinalysis
examination of the
physical and chemical
properties of urine to
determine the
presence of abnormal
elements