nbc.com

Ever wonder what those ER docs are talking about? Get up to speed with our handy guide to ER terms.

• Angioplasty: A surgical procedure in which a small catheter with a balloon tip is threaded into the coronary artery.
• Arrhythmia: occurs when the beat of the heart is no longer originating from the sinus node, and the rhythm is abnormal
• Atropine: A drug used to speed up the heart rate
• AZT: an antiviral drug prescribed for the treatment of AIDS
• Bagging: a procedure in which a bag is attached outside the mouth so that breathing can be done mechanically for the patient
• BP: abbreviation for blood pressure
• CBC: abbreviation for Complete Blood Count
• CHF: abbreviation for Congestive Heart Failure
• C-section: shorthand for cesarean section, which is the surgical delivery of a baby through the abdominal wall
• Code brown: term used when a patient doesn't make it to the bathroom in time
• Cystic fibrosis: a lung disease that causes the production of thick mucus in the lungs, hampering breathing
• DOA: abbreviation for dead on arrival
• Down: Slang expression for Cardiac arrest. "The patient's down!"
• DNR: abbreviation for Do not resuscitate; often requested or ordered for terminally ill patients
• Edema: excessive accumulation of fluid
• EKG (ECG): abbreviation for electrocardiogram; measures heart activity
• EMT: abbreviation for Emergency Medical Technician
• Endotracheal tube: an instrument inserted into the trachea through the mouth to facilitate breathing
• Hemorrhage: a dramatic and sudden loss of blood
• Hypertension: High blood pressure
• Hypotension: Low blood pressure
• Intubation: the procedure of inserting a tube into the trachea of a patient who is not breathing.
• Laryngoscope: an instrument for opening the larynx
• MI: abbreviation for Myocardial infraction (heart attack)
• MVA: abbreviation for Motor Vehicle Accident
• Platelets: The factors in the blood that cause clotting
• Preemie: A slang expression for a premature infant
• Pronounce: an expression for pronouncing a patient's death
• Pulmonary edema: fluid in the lungs
• Pulse Oximetry ("pulse ox"): a non-invasive and painless way to measure the oxygen saturation of arterial blood. Also an indicator of how well someone's breathing; healthy range is between about 96 and 100.
• Rape kit: a package containing envelopes for the collection of hair, sperm, and blood samples of a rape victims, as well as the official reporting forms
• Saline solution: a blood volume substitute made of salt and water, a temporary substitute for lost blood
• Stat: Slang expression for hurry up
• STD: abbreviation for sexually transmitted disease
• Tox Screen: Blood test to determine what drugs are in a patient's system
• Triage: the system of prioritizing patients in an emergency situation in which there are a great number of injured or ill