hilum
HY-lum noun Spanish hilio
A dent on the surface of an organ where its vessels, nerves and ducts go in and out.
- Spanish
- hilio
- Also written
- hila, hilus, hili, hilar
What it means
The plural is hila, and hilus is an older form. On the side of each lung that faces the middle of the chest, the hilum is where the main bronchus, the pulmonary artery and veins, the bronchial vessels, the nerves and the lymph vessels enter or leave; together they form the root of the lung, at about the level of the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae. The kidney's hilum, on its inner border, carries the renal artery and vein and the ureter, and the tail of the pancreas reaches the hilum of the spleen. On the liver the same kind of entrance is called the porta hepatis.
For the nurse
At the hilum of the right lung the phrenic nerveFREN-ik nervThe nerve on each side, from the spinal cord in the neck (C3 to C5), that runs down through the chest to make the diaphragm contract.phren/o diaphragmFull entry runs in front of the root and the vagus nerve passes behind it; the surgeon keeps both out of harm when retracting the lung. In a lobectomy the lobe's artery and vein branches are freed and divided at the hilum, so have the right-angle clamps, sponge dissectors, ties and staplers ready.
Words that go with it
Read these next: they turn up in the same notes, orders and questions.
loh-BEK-tuh-meeSurgery that removes a lobe of an organ, most often one or more lobes of a lung.
pneumonectomynoo-moh-NEK-tuh-meeSurgery that removes a whole lung.
bronchusBRONG-kusOne of the large air tubes that branch from the windpipe into each lung.
pulmonary arteryPUL-muh-nair-ee AR-ter-eeThe large blood vessel that carries blood low in oxygen from the right side of the heart to the lungs.
kidneyKID-neeOne of two bean-shaped organs in the back of the belly that filter the blood and make urine.
phrenic nerveFREN-ik nervThe nerve on each side, from the spinal cord in the neck (C3 to C5), that runs down through the chest to make the diaphragm contract.
vagus nerveVAY-gus nervThe 10th cranial nerve, which runs from the brain stem to the chest and belly and slows the heart and helps digestion.
A client’s heart rate is 128 beats per minute an hour after surgery. Which finding is the most likely cause of the tachycardia?
tak-ih-KAR-dee-uhA heart rate faster than normal; in an adult, more than 100 beats per minute.
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