Dictionary

Procedures and skills

The procedures nurses assist with and the skills they perform themselves.

ear irrigationRinsing the ear canal with a gentle stream of warm fluid to remove earwax, discharge or a foreign object.

early decelerationA gradual dip in the fetal heart rate that starts, bottoms out and ends at the same times as a uterine contraction.

effluentFluid that flows out of the body or a device, such as the used fluid drained after peritoneal dialysis.

electrocardiogramA test that records the heart's electrical activity as waves on paper or a screen.

electroconvulsive therapyA treatment for some severe mental illnesses in which a brief electric current is passed through the brain under anesthesia to cause a short seizure.

electrosurgeryUsing high-frequency electric current through a handheld tool to cut tissue or seal bleeding vessels during surgery.

elevationRaising something up, such as a body part above the level of the heart, or a rise in a value.

endoscopeA thin tube with a light and a camera that is passed into the body to look inside an organ or cavity.

endoscopicDone with an endoscope, a thin tube with a light and camera passed into the body.

endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographyA procedure that uses a scope passed through the mouth, with dye and X-rays, to see and treat the bile and pancreatic ducts.

endoscopyA procedure that uses a thin, flexible tube with a light and camera to look inside the body.

endotrachealInside the trachea, the windpipe.

endotracheal intubationPutting a breathing tube through the mouth or nose into the windpipe (trachea).

endotracheal tubeA flexible plastic tube passed through the mouth or nose into the windpipe to keep the airway open and allow breathing support.

enemaLiquid put into the rectum and lower bowel through the anus.

enteral feeding tubeA tube placed into the stomach or small intestine to give liquid food, water and drugs to a person who cannot eat enough by mouth.

enteral nutritionLiquid nutrition given through a tube into the stomach or small intestine.

epidural anesthesiaPain relief or numbness from an anesthetic drug given through a thin catheter into the space just outside the covering of the spinal cord.

episiotomyA cut made in the perineum, the tissue between the vagina and the anus, during birth to widen the opening.

escharThick, dry, dark dead tissue that covers part or all of a wound.

every 2 hoursAt two-hour intervals, around the clock unless the order says otherwise; written q2h.

excisionCutting out tissue, such as a growth or damaged area, during surgery.

expiration dateThe date after which a drug, supply or product should no longer be used.

extravasationThe leaking of an IV drug that damages tissue (a vesicant) out of the vein into the surrounding tissue.

exudateFluid, cells or other material that has leaked out of blood vessels into a wound or tissue.