Dictionary

Procedures and skills

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

-centesisA word ending that means a puncture with a needle to draw out fluid.

24-hour urine collectionA test in which all the urine a person makes over 24 hours is saved in one container for measurement.

abductionMoving a limb or part away from the midline of the body, such as raising an arm out to the side.

ablationA procedure that destroys a small area of tissue, often with heat or cold, to stop it from causing a problem.

ACLSAdvanced Cardiovascular Life Support: the American Heart Association's guidelines and course for treating cardiac arrest and other heart emergencies.

acromionThe bony tip of the shoulder blade that forms the top of the shoulder.

activities of daily livingThe basic self-care tasks of everyday life, such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting and moving about.

acupressureA complementary therapy in which firm pressure is applied with the fingers to specific points on the body.

acupunctureA treatment from traditional Chinese medicine in which very thin needles are placed in the skin at specific points.

ad libAs much or as often as the client wants; written in orders, from the Latin ad libitum.

adaptiveHelping a person adjust or manage, such as tools made easier to use or healthy ways of coping.

adaptive equipmentTools and devices that help a person with an illness or disability do daily tasks more easily and on their own.

adductionMoving a limb or part toward the midline of the body, such as bringing an arm back down to the side.

airwayThe passages that carry air into and out of the lungs, from the nose and mouth to the smallest air tubes.

alignmentThe correct lining up of body parts or of the pieces of a broken bone.

Allen testA bedside check of blood flow to the hand through the ulnar artery, done by pressing and releasing the wrist arteries.

ambulateTo walk, or to help a client walk.

amniocentesisA test in which a needle is put through the belly into the uterus to take a sample of amniotic fluid.

anesthesiaLoss of feeling or sensation, often brought on by drugs so that surgery or a procedure can be done without pain.

Apgar scoreA 0-to-10 rating of a newborn's condition at 1 and 5 minutes after birth, based on five signs.

apicalRelating to the apex, the tip or top of a structure; most often used for the apical pulse, heard at the tip of the heart.

apical pulseThe heartbeat counted by listening with a stethoscope over the tip (apex) of the heart, on the left side of the chest.

appendectomySurgery to remove the appendix.

arterial lineA thin catheter placed in an artery, often in the wrist, to measure blood pressure all the time and draw blood.

arteriovenous fistulaA connection made by surgery between an artery and a vein, usually in the arm, to give access for hemodialysis.

arteriovenous graftA soft synthetic tube placed under the skin to join an artery to a vein, used for hemodialysis access.

arthroplastySurgery to repair or replace a joint, most often the hip or knee.

asepsisThe state of being free of germs that cause disease, and the practices used to keep things that way.

aspirationBreathing food, liquid, saliva or stomach contents into the airway and lungs; also, drawing fluid out with suction or a needle.

assistive deviceEquipment that helps a person move, do daily tasks or communicate more safely and on their own, such as a cane, walker or grab bar.

auscultationListening to the sounds inside the body, usually with a stethoscope.

automated external defibrillatorA portable device that checks the heart rhythm through pads on the chest and gives an electric shock if one is needed.

AVPUA quick scale for level of consciousness: Alert, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, or Unresponsive.

Barlow maneuverA newborn hip exam in which the examiner brings the bent hip inward and presses gently back to feel whether it slips out of its socket.

baselineA starting measurement or the client's usual state, used to compare later findings against.

basic life supportThe first emergency care for someone whose heart or breathing has stopped or is failing: CPR, AED use and relief of choking.

bed restAn order that the client stays in bed, with any allowed activity spelled out by the provider.

biofeedbackA technique in which a person uses readings from sensors to learn to control body functions such as muscle tension or heart rate.

biopsyTaking a small sample of tissue from the body so it can be looked at under a microscope.

BiPAPBilevel positive airway pressure: breathing support through a mask that gives one pressure on breathing in and a lower one on breathing out.

bladder scanA quick bedside ultrasound that measures how much urine is in the bladder.

blood pressureThe force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, written as systolic over diastolic in mm Hg.

blood productAny part of donated blood prepared for transfusion, such as red cells, plasma or platelets.

blood transfusionGiving blood, or a part of blood, from a donor into a person's vein.

BMTBone marrow transplant: replacing damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells.

body languageMessages sent without words, through posture, gestures, facial expression, eye contact and movement.

body mechanicsUsing the body in a safe, efficient way when lifting, moving and carrying, to prevent injury.

body temperatureThe degree of heat of the body, measured with a thermometer as one of the vital signs.

bolusA single amount of a drug or fluid given all at once or over a short time.

bowel resectionSurgery to remove a section of the small or large intestine.