Dictionary

Signs and symptoms

What a client reports and what a nurse observes, named the way charts and handoffs name them.

Babinski signAn upward movement of the big toe, with the other toes fanning out, when the sole of the foot is stroked.

back painPain felt anywhere along the back, most often in the lower back.

barrel chestA rounded chest shape in which the front-to-back depth is about as large as the side-to-side width.

Battle signBruising over the bone just behind the ear.

Beck triadThree findings together: low blood pressure, distended neck veins and muffled heart sounds.

Biot respirationsA breathing pattern of groups of quick, shallow breaths of similar depth, separated by irregular pauses with no breathing.

bipolar disorderA mental health condition with periods of very high mood and energy (mania) and, often, periods of depression.

bleedingBlood escaping from a blood vessel, either out of the body or inside it.

blisterA raised bubble of skin filled with clear fluid.

bloatingA feeling of fullness, tightness or swelling in the abdomen.

Blumberg signAbdominal pain that is worse when pressure is suddenly released than when it is applied.

bowel soundA gurgling or clicking sound made by gas and fluid moving through the intestines, heard with a stethoscope.

bradycardiaA heart rate slower than normal; in an adult, fewer than 60 beats per minute.

bradypneaBreathing that is slower than normal for the person's age.

bronchospasmA sudden tightening of the muscles around the airways that narrows them.

bruiseA discolored area of skin where blood has leaked from small broken vessels into the tissue underneath.

bruitA whooshing or blowing sound heard with a stethoscope over a blood vessel.

Brushfield spotsSmall white, gray or light-brown spots arranged in a ring near the outer edge of the iris.

buffalo humpA fatty lump on the upper back at the base of the neck, between the shoulders.

bull's-eye rashA round red rash with a lighter center and a red outer ring, so it looks like a target.

butterfly rashA red rash across both cheeks and the bridge of the nose, shaped like a butterfly.