Dictionary

Signs and symptoms

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

Charcot triadThree findings together: fever with chills, pain in the upper right abdomen, and jaundice.

chest painPain or discomfort felt anywhere in the chest.

Cheyne-Stokes respirationsA breathing pattern in which breaths grow deeper and then shallower in a repeating cycle, with pauses in breathing between cycles.

chronic painPain that lasts longer than about 3 months or past the time tissues normally take to heal.

Chvostek signA twitch of the muscles of the face when the facial nerve, just in front of the ear, is tapped.

clubbingA widening and rounding of the fingertips, with the angle where the nail meets the skin flattened to 180 degrees or more.

coarse crackleA low-pitched, bubbling or gurgling lung sound heard with a stethoscope, usually while breathing in.

coffee-ground emesisVomit that is dark brown and grainy, like used coffee grounds.

confusionA state in which a person cannot think clearly, pay attention, remember or know where they are.

congestionA buildup of fluid, blood or mucus in a body part, such as a blocked nose or fluid in the lungs.

consolabilityHow easily a person, especially a crying child, can be comforted.

constipationBowel movements that happen less often than usual, with hard, dry stool that is difficult to pass.

coughA sudden, forceful burst of air from the lungs that clears the airways.

Courvoisier signA swollen gallbladder that can be felt through the abdomen but is not tender, in a person with jaundice.

crackleA short popping or crackling lung sound heard through a stethoscope, usually while breathing in.

crampA sudden, painful tightening of a muscle that does not relax right away.

crepitusA crackling, grating or popping sound or feeling, as from a joint, broken bone ends, or air trapped under the skin.

Cullen signBluish or purplish bruising of the skin around the navel.

currant jelly stoolsStool made of dark red blood mixed with mucus, looking like red currant jelly.

Cushing triadA group of three findings: rising systolic blood pressure with a widening pulse pressure, a slowing pulse, and irregular breathing.

cyanosisA blue or gray color of the skin, lips or nail beds.