Dictionary

Body systems

Anatomy and the conditions of each body system, from the heart and lungs to the skin.

psychosisA mental state in which a person loses contact with reality.

pubertyThe stage of growth when a child's body matures into an adult body able to reproduce.

pubisThe front part of each hip bone, low in the pelvis; the two meet in the middle at the pubic symphysis.

pulmonaryRelating to the lungs.

pulmonary arteryThe large blood vessel that carries blood low in oxygen from the right side of the heart to the lungs.

pulmonary circulationThe path blood takes from the heart to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen, and back to the heart.

pulmonary diseaseAny disease of the lungs.

pulmonary edemaA buildup of fluid in the air sacs and tissues of the lungs.

pulmonary embolismA blockage of an artery in the lungs, usually by a blood clot that has traveled there from elsewhere in the body.

pulmonary function testsBreathing tests that measure how much air the lungs hold and how fast air moves in and out.

pulmonary hypertensionHigh blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs.

pulmonary tuberculosisTuberculosis of the lungs, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

pulmonary veinOne of the four veins that carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart.

pulseThe throb of an artery felt with each heartbeat, used to count the heart rate and judge blood flow.

pulse oximetryA painless test that uses light through a finger, toe or earlobe to estimate how much oxygen the blood is carrying.

pulse pressureThe difference between the systolic and the diastolic blood pressure.

pulse rateHow many times the heart beats each minute, counted by feeling a pulse.

punctureA small hole made by a pointed object, or the act of making one, either by injury or on purpose with a needle.

pupilThe round black opening in the center of the colored part of the eye, which lets light in.

Purkinje fibersSpecial fibers in the walls of the heart's ventricles that spread the electrical signal so the ventricles contract.

purpuraPurple or red-brown patches on the skin caused by bleeding under the skin, which do not fade when pressed.

pustuleA small raised bump on the skin filled with pus.

pyelonephritisA bacterial infection of the kidney, usually spread up from the bladder.

pyloric stenosisA narrowing of the outlet of the stomach in a young infant, caused by thickening of the pylorus muscle.