Term
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Definition
| airway, breathing, and circulation. |
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Definition
| a memory aid for classifying a patient's level of responsiveness, or mental status. The letters stand for alert, verbal response, painful response, unresponsive. |
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Term
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Definition
| a memory aid to remember deformitiescontusionsabrasionspunctures/penetrationsburnstendernesslacerationsswellingsymptoms of injury found by inspection or palpation during patient assessment. |
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Definition
| The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law protecting the privacy of patient-specific health care information and providing the patient with control over how this information is used and distributed. |
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Term
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Definition
| a memory device for the questions asked to get a description of the present illness: OnsetProvokesQualityRadiationSeverityTime. |
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Term
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Definition
| the present and past medical history of a patient, so called because the elements of the history begin with the letters of the word sample: signs/symptomsallergiesmedicationspertinent past historylast oral intakeevents leading to the injury or illness. |
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Definition
| a strict form of infection control that is based on the assumption that all blood and other body fluids are infectious. |
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Term
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Definition
| a face mask and reservoir bag device that delivers specific concentrations of oxygen by mixing oxygen with inhaled air. |
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Term
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Definition
| leaving a patient after care has been initiated and before the patient has been transferred to someone with equal or greater medical training. |
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Term
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Definition
| four divisions of the abdomen used to pinpoint the location of a pain or injury: the right upper quadrant (RUQ), the left upper quadrant (LUQ), the right lower quadrant (RUQ), and the left lower quadrant (LLQ). |
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Definition
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the passageway by which air enters or leaves the body. The structures of the airway are the nose, mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs. |
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Term
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Definition
| the microscopic sacs of the lungs where gas exchange with the bloodstream takes place. |
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Term
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Definition
| the standard reference position for the body in the study of anatomy. In this position, the body is standing erect, facing the observer, with arms down at the sides and the palms of the hands forward. |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of body structure |
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Term
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Definition
| the smallest kind of artery |
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Term
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Definition
| any blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart. |
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Term
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Definition
| forcing air or oxygen into the lungs when a patient has stopped breathing or has inadequate breathing. Also called positive pressure ventilation. |
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Term
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Definition
| a condition in which the heart has ceased generating electrical impulses. |
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Term
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Definition
| the two upper chambers of the heart. There is a right atrium (which receives unoxygenated blood returning from the body) and a left atrium (which receives oxygenated blood returning from the lungs). |
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Term
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Definition
| A stethoscope is used to auscultate for characteristic body sounds. |
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Term
| automatic implanted cardiac defibrillator (AICD) |
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Definition
| a device implanted under the skin that can detect a life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmia and respond by delivering one or more high energy shocks to correct the rhythm. |
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Term
| automatic transport ventilator (ATV) |
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Definition
| a device that provides positive pressure ventilations. It includes settings designed to adjust ventilation rate and volume, is portable and easily carried on an ambulance. |
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Term
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Definition
| the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary motor functions |
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Term
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Definition
| the tearing away or tearing off of a piece or flap of skin or other soft tissue. This term also may be used for an eye pulled from its socket or a tooth dislodged from its socket. |
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Term
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Definition
| a hand-held device with a face mask and self-refilling bag that can be squeezed to provide artificial ventilations to a patient. Can deliver air from the atmosphere or oxygen from a supplemental oxygen supply system. |
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Term
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Definition
| a two-way radio at a fixed site such as a hospital or dispatch center. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels. Usually arterial blood pressure (the pressure in an artery) is measured. See also diastolic blood pressure; systolic blood pressure. |
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Term
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Definition
| machine that automatically inflates a blood pressure cuff and measures blood pressure |
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Term
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Definition
| injury caused by a blow that does not penetrate through the skin or other body tissues |
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Term
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Definition
| the proper use of the body to facilitate lifting and moving and prevent injury. |
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Term
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Definition
| hard but flexible living structures that provide support for the body and protection to vital organs. Types of bones are long, short, flat, and irregular. The typical long bone has a cylindrical shaft and a rounded end or head, which is connected to the shaft by the neck. |
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Term
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Definition
| artery of the upper arm; the site of the pulse checked during infant CPR. |
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Term
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Definition
| the pulse felt in the upper arm. |
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Term
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Definition
| slow pulse; any pulse rate below 60 beats per minute. |
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Term
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Definition
| the two large sets of branches that come off the trachea and enter the lungs. There are right and left bronchi. Singular bronchus |
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Term
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Definition
| smaller branches of the bronchi. |
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Term
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Definition
| constriction, or blockage, of the bronchi that lead from the trachea to the lungs. |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| a thin-walled, microscopic blood vessel where oxygen/carbon dioxide and nutrient/waste exchange with the body’s cells takes place. |
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Term
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Definition
| bleeding from capillaries, which is characterized by a slow, oozing flow of blood. |
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Term
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Definition
| the measurement of exhaled carbon dioxide. A graphic recording or display of capnometric measurement is called capnography. |
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Term
| cardiac conduction system |
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Definition
| a system of specialized muscle tissues which conduct electrical impulses that stimulate the heart to beat. |
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Term
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Definition
| specialized involuntary muscle found only in the heart. |
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Term
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Definition
| shock, or lack of perfusion, brought on not by blood loss, but by inadequate pumping action of the heart. It is often the result of a heart attack or congestive heart failure. |
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Term
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Definition
| the system made up of the heart (cardio) and the blood vessels (vascular0; the circulatory system. |
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Term
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Definition
| the fork at the lower end of the trachea where the two mainstem bronchi branch. |
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Term
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Definition
| the large neck arteries, one on each side of the neck, that carry blood from the heart to the head. |
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Term
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Definition
| the pulse felt along the large carotid artery on either side of the neck. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| tough tissue that covers the joint ends of bones and helps to form certain body parts such as the ear. |
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Term
| central nervous system (CNS) |
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Definition
| the brain and spinal cord. |
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Term
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Definition
| the carotid and femoral pulses, which can be felt in the central part of the body. |
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Term
| cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) |
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Definition
| the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. |
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Term
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Definition
| in emergency medicine, the reason EMS was called, usually in the patient’s own words. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the first on the scene to establish order and initiate the Incident Command System. |
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Term
| congestive heart failure (CHF) |
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Definition
| the failure of the heart to pump efficiently, leading to excessive blood or fluids in the lungs, the body, or both. |
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Term
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Definition
| permission from the patient for care or other action by the EMT. See also expressed consent; implied consent. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| a bruise; in brain injuries, a bruised brain caused when the force of a blow to the head is great enough to rupture blood vessels. |
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Term
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Definition
| the grating sound or feeling of broken bones rubbing together; also called crepitus. |
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Term
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Definition
| a blue or gray color resulting from lack of oxygen in the body (see hypoxia). |
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Term
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Definition
| the area around the wreckage of a vehicle collision or other incident within which special safety precautions should be taken. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the large bone of the thigh |
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Term
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Definition
| the lateral and smaller bone of the lower leg. |
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Term
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Definition
| fracture of two or more adjacent ribs in two or more places that allows for free movement of the fractured segment. |
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Term
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Definition
| a valve that indicates the flow of oxygen in liters per minute. |
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Term
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Definition
| the bone of the upper arm, between the shoulder and the elbow. |
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Term
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Definition
| the bone of the upper arm, between the shoulder and the elbow. |
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Term
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Definition
| an insufficiency of oxygen in the body’s tissues. |
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Term
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Definition
| awareness that there may be injuries. |
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Term
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Definition
| a force or forces that may have caused injury. |
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Term
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Definition
| what is medically wrong with a patient. |
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Term
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Definition
| a face mask and reservoir bag device that delivers high concentrations of oxygen. The patient’s exhaled air escapes through a valve and is not rebreathed. |
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Term
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Definition
| injury caused by an object that passes through the skin or other body tissues. |
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Term
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Definition
| persistent erection of the penis that may result from spinal injury and some medical problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| a process of continuous self-review with the purpose of identifying and correcting aspects of the system that require improvement. |
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Term
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Definition
| artery of the lower arm. It is felt when taking the pulse at the wrist. |
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Term
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Definition
| the pulse felt at the wrist. |
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Term
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Definition
| the lateral bone of the forearm. |
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Term
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Definition
| a rapid assessment of the headneckchestabdomenpelvisextremitiesposterior of the body to detect signs and symptoms of injury. |
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Term
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Definition
| in the pupils of the eyes, reacting to light by changing size. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| steps taken by an ambulance crew when approaching the scene of an emergency call: checking scene safety, taking Standard Precautions, noting the mechanism of injury or nature of the patient’s illness, determining the number of patients, and deciding what, if any, additional resources to call for. |
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Term
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Definition
| a set of regulations and ethical considerations that define the scope, or extent and limits, of the EMT’s job. |
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Term
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Definition
| also known as hypoperfusion. The inability of the body to adequately circulate blood to the body’s cells to supply them with oxygen and nutrients. A life-threatening condition. |
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Term
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Definition
| the cuff and gauge used to measure blood pressure. |
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Term
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Definition
| rapid pulserate; any pulse rate above 100 beats per minute. |
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Term
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Definition
| the medial and larger bone of the lower leg. |
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Term
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Definition
| changes in a patient’s condition over time, such as slowing respirations or rising pulse rate, that may show improvement or deterioration, and that can be shown by documenting repeated assessments. |
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Term
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Definition
| the process of quickly assessing patients at a multiple-casualty incident and assigning each a priority for receiving treatment; from a French word meaning "to sort.". |
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Term
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Definition
| color coded tag indicating the priority group to which a patient has been assigned. |
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Term
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Definition
| the smallest kind of vein. |
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Term
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Definition
| the 33 bones of the spinal column (singular vertebra). |
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Term
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Definition
| outward signs of what is going on inside the body, including respiration; pulse; skin color, temperature, and condition (plus capillary refill in infants and children); pupils; and blood pressure. |
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Term
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Definition
| the inferior portion of the sternum |
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