🚑Medical Terminology

  • HIPPA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. You may not disclose information about a patient or a patient’s medical history to unauthorized individuals via any means for any reason except under the following exceptions.

  • Bleeds

    • Capillary: Minor scratches, superficial cuts with minimum bleeding

    • Venous: Deep, non life-threatening

    • Arterial: Major, life-threatening

  • Heart Rates (Pulse)

    • Normal: Average (60-110 bpm *beats per min)

    • Tachycardia: Very high (120-180 bpm *beats per min)

    • Bradycardia: Very Low (Below 60 bpm *beats per min)

  • Blood Sugar

    • Normal: Average (80-130 mg/dL)

    • Low: Below 70 mg/dL

    • High: Above 180 mg/dL

  • F.A.S.T: Face Drooping, Arms Weak, Speech Difficulty, Time to cal 911 - has been used by the National Stroke Association, American Heart Association and others to educate the public on detecting symptoms of a stroke.

  • MVA: Motor Vehicle Accident

  • Hyperthermia: A condition where the body temperature is higher then normal - Heat related illness which includes heat fatigue, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

  • Hypothermia: A life-threatening condition that occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it, resulting in a dangerously low body tempature. This happens when immersion in cold water, or prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, especially when wet.

  • CPR: Cardiopulmoary resuscitation, a lifesaving procedure performed when someones heart stops beating.

  • AED: Automated external defibrillator, a portable device that delivers an electric shock to the heart to try to reset it

  • Splint: Used to immobilize and injured area and control external bleeding

  • Tourniquet: A device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to create ischemia or stopping the flow of blood

  • Anaphylaxis: A severe allergic reaction that requires immediate emergency treatment.

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