Acute
Sensing or perceiving accurately, clearly, effectively, or sensitively;
characterized by sharpness or severity; having a sudden onset, sharp rise, and
short course.
Analgesia
Insensibility to pain without loss of consciousness.
Analgesic
A substance that produces analgesia.
Anaesthesia, Anesthesia
Loss of sensation and usually of consciousness without loss of vital functions,
artificially produced by the administration of one or more agents that block
the passage of pain impulses along nerve pathways to the brain
Anaesthetic, anesthetic
A substance that produces anaesthesia
Apnoea, apnea
Cessation of respiration (as caused by certain drugs)
Benign
Of a mild type or character that does not threaten health or life; having a
good prognosis; responding favourably to treatment
Beta-blocker
Any of a class of heart drugs (as propranolol)
that combine with and block the activity of a beta-receptor
Block anaesthesia, block anesthesia
Local anaesthesia (as by injection) produced by interruption of the flow of
impulses along a nerve trunk
Cardiac
Of, relating to, situated near, or acting on the heart; of or relating to the cardia of the stomach
Cardiovascular
Of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR
A procedure designed to restore normal breathing after cardiac arrest that
includes the clearance of air passages to the lungs, the mouth-to-mouth method
of artificial respiration, and heart massage by the exertion of pressure on the
chest
Cardioversion
Application of an electric shock in order to restore normal heartbeat
Catheter
A tubular medical device for insertion into canals,
vessels, passageways, or body cavities usually to permit injection or
withdrawal of fluids or to keep a passage open
Chronic
Marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time, and often by
slowly progressing seriousness; not acute; having a slow progressive course of
indefinite duration
Critical
Relating to, indicating, or being the stage of a disease at which an abrupt
change for better or worse may be anticipated with reasonable certainty; being
or relating to an illness or condition involving danger of death
Dyspnoea, dyspnea
Difficult or laboured respirationE
Edema, oedema,
An abnormal excess accumulation of serous fluid in
connective tissue
Electroconvulsive therapy
The treatment of mental disorder and especially
depression by the induction of unconsciousness and convulsions through the use
of an electric current, now usually on an anaesthetized patient
Emergency medicine
The care and treatment of acutely ill or injured
patients who need immediate medical attention
Endocrinologic
Involving or relating to the endocrine glands or secretions that are
distributed in the body by way of the bloodstream
Epidural anaesthesia, epidural anesthesia
Anaesthesia produced by injection of a local anaesthetic
into the peridural space of the spinal cord
Haematoma, hematoma
A mass of blood that forms in a tissue, organ, or body
space as a result of a broken blood vessel
Haemodynamic, hemodynamic
Relating to or functioning in the mechanics of blood circulation
Hickman catheter
An indwelling venous catheter with a relatively wide
bore
Hyperpyrexia
Exceptionally high fever (as in a particular disease)
Hypoxaemia, hypoxemia
Deficient oxygenation of the blood and tissue
Intensive care
Meeting the needs of gravely ill patients with special medical facilities,
services, and monitoring devices
Intravenous
Situated within, performed within, occurring within, or administered by
entering a vein
Intubation
The introduction of a tube into a hollow organ (as the trachea) to keep it open
or restore its patency if obstructed
Laparoscopy
Visual examination of the inside of the abdomen by means of an optical or fiberoptic instrument that is inserted through an incision
in the abdominal wall
Local anaesthesia, local anesthesia
Loss of sensation in a limited (and often superficial) area especially from the
effect of a local anaesthetic
Malignant
Tending to produce death or deterioration, tending to infiltrate, metastasise, and terminate fatally; of unfavourable
prognosis; not responding favourably to treatment
Malignant hypertension
Essential hypertension characterized by acute onset, severe symptoms, rapidly
progressive course, and poor prognosis
Malignant hyperthermia
A rare inherited condition characterized by a rapid,
extreme, and often fatal rise in body temperature following the administration
of general anaesthesia
Mechanical ventilation
Artificial ventilation of the lungs (as by positive end-expiratory pressure)
using means external to the body
Metabolism
The chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital
processes and activities and new material is assimilated; the sum of the
processes by which a particular substance is handled (as by assimilation and
incorporation or by detoxification and excretion) in the living body
Morbidity
A diseased state or symptom; the incidence of disease; the rate of sickness
Mortality
Death; the incidence of death; death rate
Muscular
Of, relating to, or constituting muscle
Narcotic
A drug (as opium) that in moderate doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and
induces profound sleep but in excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or
convulsions; a drug (as marijuana or LSD) subject to restriction similar to
that of addictive narcotics whether in fact physiologically addictive and
narcotic or not
Nerve block
An interruption of the passage of impulses through a
nerve (as with pressure or narcotics)
Neurolgic
Of or relating to the nervous system
Oedema, edema
See edema
Opiate
A preparation (as morphine, heroin, and codeine) containing or derived from
opium and tending to induce sleep and to alleviate pain; a synthetic drug
capable of producing or sustaining addiction similar to that characteristic of
morphine and cocaine; a narcotic or opioid peptide
Opioid
Possessing some properties characteristic of opiate
narcotics but not derived from opium
Percutaneous
Effected or performed through the skin
Perioperative
Relating to, occurring in, or being the period around the time of a surgical
operation (the pre-, intra- and postoperative period)
Postoperative
Relating to, occurring in, or being the period following a surgical operation
Preoperative
Occurring, performed, or administered before and usually close to a surgical
operation
Pulmonary
Relating to, functioning like, associated with, or carried on by the lungs
Prehospital
Occurring before or during transportation (as of a trauma victim) to a hospital
Premedication
Preliminary medication; especially medication to induce a relaxed state
preparatory to the administration of an anesthetic
Prognosis
The act or art of foretelling the course of a disease; the prospect of survival
and recovery from a disease as anticipated from the usual course of that
disease or as indicated by special features of the case
Pulse Oximeter
A device that determines the oxygen saturation of the blood of an anaesthetized
patient using a sensor attached to a finger, yields a computerized readout, and
sounds an alarm if the blood saturation becomes less than optimal
Regional anaesthesia, regional anesthesia
Anaesthesia of a region of the body
Sedative
Tending to calm, moderate, or tranquillise
nervousness or excitement
Spinal Anaesthesia, Spinal Anesthesia
Anaesthesia produced by injection of an anesthetic into the subarachnoid
space of the spine
Swan-Ganz catheter
A soft catheter with an expandable balloon tip that is
used for measuring blood pressure in the pulmonary artery
Tracheostomy, tracheotomy
The surgical formation of an opening into the trachea
through the neck especially to allow the passage of air
Ventilation
The circulation and exchange of gases in the lungs that is basic to respiration