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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
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