| A | B |
|---|
| Adrenal crisis | also known as Addisonian crisis and acute adrenal insufficiency. A medical emergency and potentially life threatening situation requiring immediate emergency treatment. It is a constellation of symptoms that indicate severe adrenal insufficiency caused by insufficient levels of the hormone cortisol |
| Analgesic | Any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain. Act on the peripheral and central nervous system |
| Anaphylaxis | an acute allergic reaction to an antigen (e.g. a bee sting) to which the body has become hypersensitive; it is severe and a potentially life threatening allergic reaction |
| Angina pectoris | chest pain or discomfort due to coronary heart disease. It occurs when the heart muscle is lacking blood, usually because of blocked arteries (ischemia) |
| Angioedema | swelling of the lower layer of the skin and tissue just under the skin or mucous membranes. It may occur in the face, tongue, larynx, abdomen, or arms and legs. Often associated with hives and onset is over minutes to hours |
| Baseline | an initial known value that is used for comparison with later data |
| Cannula | tube for insertion into a duct or cavity |
| Crepitation | dry crackling sound, such as produced by the grating of the ends of a fractured bone |
| Cricothyrotomy | incision through the skin and the cricothyroid membrane to secure a patient airway for emergency relief of upper airway obstruction |
| Cyanosis | bluish or purplish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes due to low oxygen saturation of the tissues near the skin surface |
| Dyspnea | labored or difficult breathing; indication of inadequate ventilation or of insufficient oxygen in the circulating blood |
| Ecchymoses | discoloration of the skin resulting from bleeding underneath |
| Emphysema | a lung condition that causes shortness of breath, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches the bloodstream |
| Erythema | redness of the skin or mucous membranes caused by increased blood flow in superficial cappillaries, occurs with injury, infection or inflammation |
| Hypoglycemia | when blood sugar decreases to below normal levels |
| Kussmaul breathing | loud, slow, labored breathing common to patients in diabetic coma |
| Myocardial infarction | irreversible necrosis of heart muscle secondary to prolonged lack of oxygen supply (ischemia). Commonly known as heart attack |
| Paresthesia | abnormal sensation such as tingling, tickling, prickling, numbness or burning of a person skin with no apparent physical cause. May be transient or chronic or have multiple possible causes |
| Premedication | antibiotics precribed in advance of dental procedures in patients known to be at high risk for an adverse medical outcome |
| Premonitory | when symptoms give a warning of a more serious attack, such as a headache or "funny" feeling shortly before the onset of a seizure |
| Pruitis | itching |
| Syncopal episodes (sycope) | temporary loss of consciousness caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure; can have serious consequences, particularly in patients with a cardiovascular disease; commonly referred to as fainting |
| Tonic-clonic seizure | also known as convulsion or "grand mal". Usually begins on both sides of the brain, but can start in one side and spread to the whole brain. Last 1 to 3 minutes and have a longer recovery period |
| Trendelenburg position | the patient is supine with the heart higher than the head on a surface inclined downward about 45 degrees |
| Urticaria | vascular reaction of the skin with transient appearance of slightly elevated patches (wheals) that are redder or paler than the surrounding tissue; may be accompanied by severe itching; also called hives |
| Vaporoles | a brand of smelling salts or aromatic ammonia in a small capsule-type container that is crushed and put under the syncope victims nose to stimulate respiration |
