| A | B |
|---|
| acute | having a short and relatively severe course; a disease process characterized by a relatively short duration of signs and symptoms that are usually severe and begin abruptly |
| assessment | evaluation or appraisal of a condition; includes observing, gathering, verifying, and communicating pertinent data, usually information pertaining to the patient |
| auscultation | to listen for sounds within the body to evaluate the condition of the heart, lungs, pleura, intestines, or other organs or to detect fetal heart sounds |
| borborygymi | loud, gurgling sounds that accompany increased motility of the bowel |
| bruits | abnormal swishing sound heard over organs, glands, and arteries |
| chronic | developing slowly and persisting for a long periiod, often for the remainder of an individual's life |
| crackles | short, discrete, interrupted crackling or bubbling adventitious breath sounds heard on auscultation of the chest, most commonly upon inspiration. They are produced by a passage of air through the bronchi that contain secretions; usually heard during inspiration; formerly called rales |
| disease | any disturbance of a structure or function of the body; a pathologic condition of the body |
| drainage | free flow or withdrawal of fluids from a wound or cavity by some sort of system |
| dullness | low-pitched thudlike sound percussion of the body |
| edema | abnormal accumulation of fluids in interstitial spaces of tissue; a combining form meaning swelling |
| erythema | redness or inflammation of the skin or mucous membranes resulting from dilation and congestion of superficial capillaries. |
| etiology | the study of all factors that may be involved in the development of a disease; the cause of disease |
| exudate | fluid, cells, or other substances that have been slowly exuded or discharged from body cells or blood vessels through small pores or breaks in cell membrane |
| flatness | soft, high-pitched, flat sound produced by performing percussion over tissue such as muscle tissue |
| focused assessment | concentration of attention on the part of the body where signs and symptoms are localized or most active in order to determine their significance |
| functional disease | may be manifested as an organic disease but careful examination fails to reveal evidence of structural or physiologic abnormalities |
| infection | caused by an invasion of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that produce tissue damage |
| inflammation | protective response of body tissues to irritation, injury, or invasion by disease-producing organisms. The cardinal signs include erythema, edema, heat, and loss of function |
