Respiratory Function Terms

Front 1

Bronchoscopy

Back 1

Direct Examination of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi using an endoscope

Front 2

Cilia

Back 2

Short hairs that provide a constant whipping motion that serves to propel mucus and foreign substances away from the lung toward the larynx

Front 3

Crackles

Back 3

Soft, high pitched, discon-tinuous popping sounds during inspiration caused by delayed reopening of the airways

Front 4

Diffusion

Back 4

exchange of glass molecules from a high concentration to a low concentration

Front 5

DYSPNEA

Back 5

labored breathing or shortness of breath

Front 6

Hemoptysis

Back 6

expectoration of blood from the respiratory tract

Front 7

Hypoxemia

Back 7

decrease in arterial oxygen tension in the blood

Front 8

Hypoxia

Back 8

decrease in oxygen supply to the tissues and cells

Front 9

Orthopnea

Back 9

inability to breath easily except in an upright position

Front 10

Physiological Dead Space

Back 10

portion of the tracheo-bronchial tree that does not participate in gas exchange

Front 11

Pulmonary Perfusion

Back 11

blood flow through the pulmonary vasculature

Front 12

Respiration

Back 12

gas exchange between atmospheric air and the blood and between blood and the cells of the body

Front 13

Ventilation

Back 13

movement of air in and out of airways

Front 14

Wheezes

Back 14

continuous musical sounds associated with airway narrowing or partial obstruction

Front 15

Alaryngeal Communication

Back 15

alternative modes of speaking that do not involve the normal larynx; used by patiens whose larynx has been surgically removed

Front 16

alaryngeal communication

Back 16

alternative modes of thinking that do not involve the normal larynx; used by patients whose larynx has been surgically removed

Front 17

aphonia

Back 17

impaired ability to use one's voice due to disease or injury to the larynx

Front 18

apnea

Back 18

cessation of breathing

Front 19

dysphagia

Back 19

difficulties in swallowing

Front 20

epistaxis

Back 20

hemorrhage from the nose due to rupture of tiny, distended vessels in the mucous membrane of any area of the nose

Front 21

Laryngitis

Back 21

inflammation of the larynx, ay be caused by voice abuse, exposure to irritants, or infectious organisms

Front 22

nuchal rigidity

Back 22

stiffness of the neck or inability to bend the neck

Front 23

Pharyngitis

Back 23

inflammation of the throat; usually viral or bacterial in origin

Front 24

Rhinitis

Back 24

inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose; may be infectious, allergic, or inflammatory in origin

Front 25

rhinorrhea

Back 25

drainage of a large amount of fluid from the nose

Front 26

Sinusitis

Back 26

inflammation of the sinuses

Front 27

submucosal resection

Back 27

surgical procedure to correct nasal obstruction due to deviated septum; septoplasty

Front 28

xerostomia

Back 28

dryness of the mouth from a variety of causes

Front 29

acute lung injury (ALI)

Back 29

an umbrella term for hypoxemic, respitatory failure; ARDS is a severe form of ALI

Front 30

acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

Back 30

nonspecific pulmonary response to a variety of pulmonary and non pulmonary insults to the lung; characterized by interstitial infiltrates, alveolar hemorrhage, atelectasis, decreased compliance, and refractory hypoxemia

Front 31

atelactasis

Back 31

collapse or airless condition of the alveoli caused by hypoventilation, obsruction to the airways, or compression

Front 32

central cyanosis

Back 32

bluish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes due to hemoglobin carrying reduced amounts of oxygen

Front 33

consolidation

Back 33

lung tissue that has become more solid in naturedue to colapse of alveoli or infectious process (pneumonia)

Front 34

cor pulmonale

Back 34

"heart of the lungs" enlaregment of the right ventriclefrom hypertrophy or dilation or as a secondary response to disorders that effect the lungs

Front 35

empyema

Back 35

accumulation of purulent material in the pleural space

Front 36

hemothorax

Back 36

partial or complete collapse of the lung due to blood accumulating in the pleural space; may occur after surgery or trauma

Front 37

induration

Back 37

an abnormally hard lesion or reaction, as in a positive tuberculin skin test

Front 38

orthopnea

Back 38

shortness of breath when reclining or in the supine position

Front 39

pleural effusion

Back 39

abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space

Front 40

pleural friction rub

Back 40

localized grating or creaking sound caused by the rubbing together of inflamed parietal and visceral pleura

Front 41

pneumothorax

Back 41

partial or complete collapse of the lung due to posiive pressure in the pleural space

Front 42

pulmonary edema

Back 42

increase in the amount of extravascular fluid in the lung

Front 43

pulmonary embolism

Back 43

obsruction of the pulmonary vasculature with an embolus; embolus may be due to blood clot, air bubbles or fat droplets

Front 44

restrictive lung disease

Back 44

disease of the lung that causes a decrease in lung volumes

Front 45

tension pneumothorax

Back 45

pneumo charecterized by

Front 46

pneumothorax

Back 46

partial or complete collapse of the lung due to posiive pressure in the pleural space

Front 47

pulmonary edema

Back 47

increase in the amount of extravascular fluid in the lung

Front 48

pulmonary embolism

Back 48

obsruction of the pulmonary vasculature with an embolus; embolus may be due to blood clot, air bubbles or fat droplets

Front 49

restrictive lung disease

Back 49

disease of the lung that causes a decrease in lung volumes

Front 50

tension pneumothorax

Back 50

pneumo charecterized by increasing positive pressure in the pleural space with each breath; this an emergency situation and the positive pressure needs to be decompressed or released immediately

Front 51

thoracentisis

Back 51

insertion of a needle into the pleural space to remove fluid that has accumulated and decrease the pressure on the lung tissue; may also be used diagnostically to identify poential causes of a pleural effusion

Front 52

ventilation-perfusion ratio

Back 52

the ratio between ventilation and perfusion in the lung; maching of ventilation to perfusion optimizes gas exchange

Front 53

air trapping

Back 53

incomplete emptying of alveoli during expiration due to loss of lung tissue elasticity (emphysema), bronchospasm (asthma), or airway obstruction

Front 54

alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Back 54

genetic disorder resulting from a deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protective agent for the lung; increases patient's risk for developing panacinar emphysema even in the absence of smoking

Front 55

asthma

Back 55

a disease with multiple precipitating mechanisms resulting in a common clinical outcome of reversible airflow obstruction; no longer considered a category of COPD

Front 56

bronchiectasis

Back 56

chronic dilation of a bronchus
the dilated airways become saccular and are a medium for chronic infection, no linger considerd a category for COPD

Front 57

bronchitis

Back 57

a disease of the airways defined as the presence of cough and sputum production for at least a combine d total of three months in each of two consecutive years, a category of COPD

Front 58

COPD

Back 58

diseas state characterized by airflow limitaion that is no fully reversible; sometimes reffered to as chronic obstruction

Front 59

emphysema

Back 59

a disease of the airways characterized by destruction of the walls of overdistended alveoli; a category of COPD

Front 60

polycythemia

Back 60

increase in the red blood cell
concentration in the blood; in
COPD, the body attempts to improve oxygen carrying capacity by producing increasing amounts of red blood cells