Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Carboxyhemoglobin is incapable
of transporting oxygen to the body's organs. Our Jargon Buster is designed to simplify any complicated terms that you may not be familiar with. The
color of the burn is red, capillary refill is present, the skin texture is
normal, and the burn heals in five to ten days with no scarring
flexeril - a potent muscle relaxant
fluconazole - an antifungal drug used for infections of the mouth,
blood, and throat. the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group: medical jargon. Common Medical Jargon Which Can Be Confused With Other Words. This list was developed by the Patient Information Committee, … The tests included in a GGF1 are a CBC, Chem
7, chest film, U/A, and blood cultures times two
GI cocktail - a commonly used mixture of liquid donnatal (which stops
gastrointestinal spasms), viscous lidocaine
and mylanta (which counteracts the stomach acid and soothes the stomach). If refreshments are served, often the
nickname is death and donuts (D&D), narcan - naloxone, a drug used to counteract drug overdoses
necrotic - dead, as in "necrotic tissue"
needle cricothyroidotomy - see cricothyroidotomy
NG tube - abbreviation for a nasogastric tube
NICU - abbreviation for the neonatal intensive care unit
nitro drip - an IV infusion of nitroglycerine
nitroglycerine - an antianginal agent
norcuron - vecuronium, a neuromuscular blocking agent used to paralyze
for rapid-sequence intubation
normal sinus rhythm - a normal heart rate, which is between 60 and 80
beats per minute in an adult
nosocomial infections - opportunistic infections contracted while in
the hospital, eg a urinary tract infection a patient develops from his
foley catheter
NPO - abbreviation for nothing by mouth (from the Latin Nil
peros)
NS - abbreviation for normal saline solution
NSAID - abbreviation for a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug (eg Motrin,
Advil, etc), O neg - type O, Rhesus negative blood; also called universal donor
blood since any human can receive O negative blood without complication
orbital fracture - a fracture of the bony socket that holds the
eyeball
osteosarcoma - bone cancer
otitis media - an infection of the middle ear, palp - this refers to blood pressure taken under emergency conditions
when listening for the systolic and diastolic pressures with
a stethoscope is impossible. It’s also an acceptable abbreviation for joint commission. More malignant programs use it to embarrass
residents and their mistakes. Patients have expressed a strong desire to see the medical jargon in correspondence between specialists and their GPs translated into plain English, a New Zealand study of 60 outpatients found. MedTerms online medical dictionary provides quick access to hard-to-spell and often misspelled medical definitions through an extensive alphabetical listing. Medical English becomes our primary language and we forget our mother tongues. The providers I hear from tell me that they’ve been doing a good job cutting down on their use of medical jargon. acute - sudden, intense flare-up adenosine - a drug used to help a patient with Supraventricular tachycardia convert to normal sinus rhythm agonal - a word used to describe a major negative change in a patient's condition, usually preceding immediate death, such as a complete cessation of breathing or a dire change in the patient's EEG or EKG PRN is an acronym that’s widely used in medical jargon and documentation. preeclampsia - the physical condition of pregnant woman prior to
eclampsia. This has the benefit of being able to send
more fluid into the body
cephalosporin - an antibiotic
cesarean section - surgical delivery of a baby through the abdominal
wall
champagne tap - a successful lumbar puncture
with no red blood cells found, which means it is
as clean as possible. … The ventricles are very sensitive
during this period and life threatening arrythmias can occur
gomer - ER slang for "Get Out of My Emergency Room" and is a
derogatory term for geriatric patients with multiple complicated
medical problems
gorked - ER slang for unconscious (as in "gorked patient"). Clearly, it is not effective to tell providers to stop using jargon if we are not even aware we are using it in the first place. idiopathic - a condition that does not have a clear explanation of cause. Symptoms include blood pressure greater than 140/90;
persistent proteinuria (protein in the urine); and edema
preemie - slang expression for a baby born before full term, usually
defined as a child born weighing less than five and a half pounds
procardia - a calcium channel blocker prescribed for
Raynaud's phenomena and high blood pressure
Prolixin - a drug (fluphenazine hydrochloride) used for psychotic
disorders, moderate to severe depression, control of agitation, intractable
pain, senility, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms
PT - prothrombine time, a clotting factor test for blood
PTT - partial prothrombine time, see PT
ptosis - drooping of the eyelid
pulmonary edema - fluid in the lungs
pulmonary embolism - a blood clot in the lungs
pulsatile - beating, as in a pulsatile mass
pulse - a pulsating artery that gives evidence that the heart is
beating, usually about 70 times per minute
puls/ox - pulse oximetry, a measure of the saturation of hemoglobin by
oxygen, or how well the person is breathing
pulsus paradoxus - a condition in which the pulse pressure
declines during respiratory inspiration
PVCs - premature cardiac ventricular contractions
pyelogram - an x-ray of the kidneys using an intravenously inserted
dye, q - every iteration, ie a med of Q5min would be every five minutes,
or Q6h is every 6 hours, 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
rapid infuser - a device that transports blood into the system at a
fast rate to help prevent hypohemia
reflux - moving backward in the esophagus
renogram - an x-ray of the kidneys
respirations - breaths; the act of inhaling and exhaling
retrocecal - behind the cecum
rifampin - an antibiotic used to treat meningitis,
tuberculosis, Legionnaire's disease, leprosy, and staph infections
rifabutin - a drug used to help prevent mycobacterium avium complex
disease in patients with HIV infections
Ringer's solution - an intravenous solution consisting of salt,
potassium, and calcium boiled in water used to treat dehydration, saline solution - a blood volume substitute made of salt and water,
a temporary substitute for lost blood
schizophrenia - a mental disorder marked by hallucinations, delusions,
and disintegration of the thought processes
scoop and run - a term used by EMTs and ER personnel for a situation
where no treatment is possible at an accident scene and all they can do it
"scoop" up the victims and "run" with them to the ER
second-degree burn - there are two levels of second-degree burn: The
first level is a burn in which both the epidermis and the underlying dermis are
damaged.