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Procedures and skills

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

bowel soundA gurgling or clicking sound made by gas and fluid moving through the intestines, heard with a stethoscope.
brachytherapyRadiation treatment in which a radioactive source is placed inside the body, in or right next to a tumor.
Braden ScaleA scoring tool that rates a client's risk of developing a pressure injury.
breathing exerciseA practiced way of breathing used to expand the lungs, move air better or relax.
bronchoscopyA procedure in which a thin, lighted tube with a camera is passed through the nose or mouth to look inside the airways.
caneA walking stick used to give support and balance while walking.
cannulaA thin tube placed into the body or a body opening to deliver or remove fluid or air.
capillary refillA quick test that measures how fast color returns to a nail bed after it is pressed and released.
cardiac catheterizationA procedure in which a thin tube is threaded through a blood vessel into the heart to take pictures, measure pressures or open blocked arteries.
cardiac monitorA machine that shows the heart's electrical rhythm on a screen without stopping, using electrodes on the chest.
cardiopulmonary resuscitationEmergency chest compressions, with or without rescue breaths, to keep blood flowing when the heart has stopped.
cardioversionChanging an abnormal fast heart rhythm back to normal with a timed electric shock or with drugs.
carotid pulseThe pulse felt in the neck over the carotid artery, in the groove beside the windpipe.
cast careThe nursing care and teaching that keep a cast, and the limb inside it, safe and healthy.
catheterA thin, flexible tube put into the body to drain fluid out or to put fluid or drugs in.
catheter-related bloodstream infectionAn infection of the blood that comes from germs entering through an intravenous catheter.
central venous catheterAn IV catheter whose tip sits in a large vein near the heart, used for long-term drugs, fluids, nutrition or blood draws.
central venous pressureThe blood pressure in the large vein near the heart's right atrium, measured through a central line.
cervical dilationThe opening of the cervix during labor, measured in centimeters from 0 to 10.
chest compressionPressing down hard and fast on the center of the chest to pump blood when the heart has stopped.
chest tubeA tube placed through the chest wall into the space around the lung to drain air, blood or fluid.
chorionic villus samplingA prenatal test that takes a small sample of tissue from the placenta to check the baby's chromosomes and genes.
circularShaped like a circle, or moving in a circle.
circulatory overloadMore fluid in the blood vessels than the heart and circulation can handle.
circumcisionSurgery to remove the foreskin, the skin that covers the tip of the penis.
clampA device that squeezes something shut, such as a tube or blood vessel, to stop flow.
CMSAn abbreviation for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the US agency that runs Medicare, or for a circulation, motor and sensation check.
cognitive behavioral therapyA talk therapy that helps a person notice unhelpful thoughts and change the thoughts and actions that keep a problem going.
cold compressA cold pack or cloth placed on the body to cool an area.
colonoscopyAn exam of the inside of the large intestine with a long, flexible tube that has a camera on its end.
colostomyA surgical opening that brings part of the colon through the belly wall, so stool leaves the body into a pouch.
compatibilityWhether two things, such as two drugs or a donor's and a recipient's blood, can be put together safely.
compressionPressing on or squeezing a body part, on purpose as a treatment, or as harm from something pressing on it.
compression stockingA tight elastic stocking that squeezes the leg, most firmly at the ankle, to help blood flow back toward the heart.
consciousnessThe state of being awake and aware of oneself and one's surroundings.
continuous bladder irrigationA steady flow of sterile fluid run into the bladder and drained back out through a three-way catheter.
continuous infusionAn IV fluid or drug given without stopping, at a steady rate, usually by an infusion pump.
contraction frequencyHow often labor contractions come: the time between the starts of two contractions in a row.
coughing and deep breathingA breathing exercise in which the client takes several slow, deep breaths and then coughs to clear the lungs.
CPAPContinuous positive airway pressure: a steady flow of pressurized air through a mask that keeps the airway open.
craniotomySurgery in which a piece of the skull is removed to reach the brain, and usually put back at the end.
crutchesA pair of walking aids, used under the arms or on the forearms, that take weight off one or both legs.
daily weightA client's weight measured every day at the same time, on the same scale, in similar clothing.
dangleTo sit on the edge of the bed with the legs hanging over the side, before standing up.
debridementThe removal of dead, damaged or infected tissue from a wound so it can heal.
decelerationA temporary drop in the fetal heart rate below its baseline, seen on a fetal monitor.
defibrillationAn electric shock given to the heart to stop a chaotic, life-threatening rhythm so a normal rhythm can return.
deltoidThe thick, triangle-shaped muscle that covers the shoulder and lifts the arm out to the side.
dentureA removable set of artificial teeth that replaces some or all natural teeth.
dextrose 5% in waterAn IV fluid of 5 grams of glucose in every 100 mL of water, written D5W.