Glossary of Terms

flakes of skin, cradle cap

weaken, make worse

to remove skin and other dead or infected tissue. This helps clean up a wound so it can heal faster

dead, passes away, died

a type of kidney transplant when the kidney has been donated by someone who has died. Also called non-living donor transplant or cadaveric transplant

clean, kill germs, disinfect, sterilize

take less, cut back, drop, lower, lessen, make less

a blood clot that forms in one or more deep veins in your body

a blood clot in a deep vein and can be life-threatening. Symptoms may include swelling, pain, and tenderness, often in the legs. Risk factors include immobility, hormone therapy, and pregnancy

a machine that uses an electric shock to try and reset your heart or get it beating correctly

external defibrillators can be used on your body during CPR. Internal defibrillators are implanted inside you. Both types use small electric shocks that may prevent your heart from stopping. They also may prevent your heart from beating too slow, too fast, or unevenly

lack, not enough

lacking, not enough, poor

flaw, a change from the normal shape, not a normal shape, oddly shaped

weaken, worsen, decline, decay

not enough water, need water, water loss, remove water

a process in which the umbilical cord of the newborn is left intact for an extended period of time during the third stage of labour

sudden confusion, a sudden confused state of mind

a mental state in which you are confused and not able to think or speak clearly, usually because of fever or an illness

arm muscle, muscle in your upper arm

memory loss that gets worse over time, an illness that causes someone to be unable to think clearly

general information about a group of people, such as their age, sex, number of children and other facts

prove, show, explain

nerve disease

cavities, tooth decay, holes in your teeth

fake tooth drilled into your jaw bone

steps your dentist takes to help prevent teeth and gum problems; examples include teeth cleaning and fluoride treatment

main bone-like part of a tooth

no oxygen, without oxygen

hemodialysis done in a hospital or clinic. It is called "dependent" because you aren't able to do your dialysis yourself and so must go to a treatment centre for your dialysis

need, rely on

use up, empty, take all of

related to your skin, having to do with your skin

skin doctor

a layer of your skin

label, name, to choose someone or something

find, discover

get worse, fall apart

figure out, decide, find out, test

bad, harmful, dangerous

create, change, grow

physical or mental disability, challenged, learning problem

stray, change, take a different path

too much sugar in your blood

a serious disease in which your body can't control the amount of sugar in your blood because it doesn't have enough insulin

when your pancreas can't make enough insulin. Sometimes just called diabetes

when your body doesn't use the insulin that your pancreas makes. Sometimes just called diabetes

tests to find out if your blood sugar levels are too high. High blood sugar can put you at risk for developing diabetes

person who has diabetes

caused by diabetes (diabetic coma), for people with diabetes (diabetic diet)

finding out the cause of an illness or condition, medical answer

a statement that tells the reason for an illness or disease

x-ray department, imaging services, medical imaging, ultrasound department

special fluid used when you have dialysis. The waste that is removed during dialysis passes into this fluid. It is also called dialyzate or bath

the part of the artificial kidney machine that acts like a filter to clean the wastes from your blood

sweat, perspiration

sweaty

the main muscle that helps you breathe

lower number of your blood pressure, the bottom number of your blood pressure

the measure of how hard your blood pushes against your arteries when your heart is relaxed between heart beats

Here is an example:

120   - systolic blood pressure
 80    - diastolic blood pressure

problem(s), trouble

when something is not easy to do or to deal with

using X-rays to obtain real-time moving pictures of the inside of your body

x-ray images achieved by a specialized camera and "image intensifier" device which records image motion and dynamic movements of body structures, often accompanied by the injection or ingestion of contrast media.

x-rays

a type of x-ray done by computer

general term encompassing all methods of modern medical imaging in a modern imaging services department which use computerized methods of image-taking, image storage, and image retrieval. For example - general X-ray, CT scanning, MRI, and ultrasound are all specific types/forms of "digital imaging."

become wider, become larger, open

a condition where your heart muscle is weakened and your heart becomes enlarged (big). This makes it hard for your heart to pump enough blood to the rest of your body.

something used to make something become larger, wider, bigger or more open

weaken, make weaker, add liquid, make less strong

size

make smaller, become less, take less

double vision

leave the hospital, going home

ooze, leakage, pus

papers that tell you about your hospital stay and your after hospital plan for your health

documents that are used to tell your family doctor or nurse practitioner about your hospital stay and your after hospital plan for your ongoing care

show, tell

shaped like a disc, round and flat

change in colour, not the colour it normally is, odd colour

stop, end, quit

talk about, talk with, talk over

illness, sickness

condition, illness, medical problem

show

spread, send out, make available

away from

tell apart, set apart

your genes, genetic material 

a substance that carries genetic information in your cells

home, house, where you live

gift, present, something you give

a study where the researchers and the participants don't know what medication the participant is getting

bandage, covering

putting clothes on

sleepy

stents are small, expandable tubes that are inserted during angioplasty into a narrowed or blocked section of the coronary artery to open the artery and improve blood flow

drug-eluting stents prevent a coronary artery from narrowing again after angioplasty or angiogram. They are coated with medication that prevents your artery from clogging up again

(also see bare metal stent)

a place where you live,

slurred speech

problem, not working

not working the way it should

a condition that makes it hard for someone to read

indigestion, heartburn

trouble swallowing

short of breath