Medical Terminology

● Med terms are made of parts (puzzle pieces)

● Medical language important in any medical field
○ Ems use it

Med language and communication

● Communication in any language consists of 5 language skills
● These 5 skills are important in med term too.
○ Read
○ Listen
○ Thinking, analyzing, and understanding
○ Writing (or typing) and spelling
○ Speaking and pronunciation.

The Beginning of Medical Language

● Etymology is the study of word origins
● Many words have come from other languages
● Many medical words come from the ancient Latin or Greek languages
○ Some medical words are identical to Latin or Greek words
○ Some medical words are similar (but not identical) to Latin or Greek words
○ Some medical words are similar to old English, Dutch, and French ones.

Medical Word parts

Combining form:
● Characteristics of a combining form
○ Is the foundation of a word
○ Gives the word its main medical meaning
○ Has a root, a forward slash, a combining vowel, and a final hyphen.

Suffix:
● Characteristics of a suffix
○ A suffix is a word part that is at the end of a word
○ A suffix modifies or clarifies the medical meaning of the combining form
○ A suffix is a single letter or group of letters that begins with a hyphen
○ Most medical ords contain a suffix
○ Occasionally a medical word has two suffixes (ie nutritional, personality,
incisional.)
Prefix:

● Characteristics of a prefix
○ A prefix is a word that, if present, is at the beginning of the word
○ A prefix modifies or clarifies the medical meaning of a word
○ A prefix is a single letter or group of letters that ends with a hyphen
○ Occasionally, a medial word has two prefixes.

Build Medial Words: Suffix That Begins With a Consonant

● Select the suffix and combining forms whose meaning matches the definition of the
medical word
● Change the order of the word parts to put the suffix last
● Because the suffix begins what a consonant keeps the combining form’s vowel

The Medical Record

● The Medical record is where healthcare professionals document all care provided to a
patient.
● It contains not only medical documents but those that are also legal documents that can
be used in a court of law.

Standard Headings in Hospital Admission and Discharge Documents.

● Chief Complaint (CC)
● History of Present Illness (HPI)
● Past Medical (and Surgical) History (PMH)
● Social History (SH) and Family History (FH)
● Review of Systems (ROS)
● Physical Examination (PE)
● Laboratory and X-ray Data
● Diagnosis (Dx)
● Disposition

Types of Documents in the Medical Record

● Consent to treatment forms
○ Patients must sign the consent to treatment form that gives the physicians and
other healthcare professionals the right to treat them.
■ Treatment without consent is against the law and is considered battery.
● The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996
○ Patients must also sign a form allowing the facility to contact their insurance
companies to obtain payment for the healthcare provided.
 ○ All healthcare settings must provide patients with a statement verifying that their
medical information is secure and is only released to authorized healthcare
providers, insurance, or to healthcare quality monitoring organizations.
○ Prevents healthcare professionals from randomly going into the medical records
of people they are not directly caring for.

Chapter two, the body in health and disease

Body planes and body directions

● When the human body is in an anatomical position, it can be studied by dividing it with
planes.
● A plane is an imaginary flat surface, like a plate of glass, that divides the body into two
parts.
● There are three body planes: coronal plane, sagittal plane, and transverse plane.
● These body planes divide the body into front and back, right and left, and top and bottom
sections.
● Body directions represent movement away from or towards those planes.

Coronal plane

● The coronal plane (frontal plane) is a vertical plane that divides the body into front and
back sections.
● The coronal plane is named for the coronal suture in the cranium.

Sagittal plane

● The sagittal plane is a vertical plane that divides the body into right and left sections.
● The sagittal plane is named for the sagittal suture in the cranium.
● If this plane divides the body at the midline into equal right and left sections, then it is a
midsagittal plane.

Transverse plane

● The transverse plane is a horizontal plane that divides the body into upper and lower
sections

Body Cavities

● The human body can be studied according to its body cavities and their internal organs.
 ● A cavity is a hollow space that is surrounded by bones or muscles.
● The cranial cavity lies within and is protected by the cranium.
● The spinal cavity or spinal canal is a continuation of the cranial cavity as it travels down
the midline of the back.
● The spinal cavity lies within and is protected by the bones (vertebrae) of the spine.
● The spinal cavity contains the spinal cord and the spinal nerves.
● The thoracic cavity lies within the chest and is protected by the breast bone (sternum)
anteriorly, the ribs bilaterally, and the bones of the spine posteriorly.
● The inferior border of the thoracic cavity is the large, muscular diaphragm that functions
during respiration.
● The thoracic cavity contains the lungs.
● The abdominal cavity lies within the abdomen and is protected by the abdominal wall
anteriorly, and the bones of the spine posteriorly
● The pelvic cavity is a continuation of the abdominal cavity and is surrounded by the
pelvic (hip) bones anteriorly and bilaterally, and the bones of the spines posteriorly.

Body Directions

● The front of the body is the anterior or ventral section.

● The back of the body is the posterior or dorsal section.
● Lying with the anterior section of the body down is being in the prone position (lying on
your stomach)
● Lying with the posterior section of the body down is being in the dorsal or supine
position. (lying on your back)
● Moving from the side of the body towards the midline is moving in a medial direction, or
medially.
● Moving from the midline towards the side of the body is moving in a lateral direction, or
laterally.
● Bilateral indicates both sides.
● The upper half of the body is the superior section, and the lower half is the inferior
section.
● Moving towards the head is moving in a superior direction, or superiority.
○ This is also the cephalad direction.
● Moving towards the tailbone is moving in an inferior direction, or inferiorly
○ This is also the caudad direction.
● Moving away from the trunk of the body towards the end of a limb (arm/leg) is moving
in a distal direction, or distally.
● Moving from the end of a limb towards the trunk of the body is moving in a proximal
direction, or proximally.
● Structures on the surface of the body are superficial or external.
 ● Structures below the surface and inside the body are deep or internal.

Body Quadrants and Regions

● The human body can be studied according to its quadrants and regions
● The anterior surface of the abdominopelvic area can be divided into four quadrants or
nine regions.
● The four quadrants include:
○ Right upper quadrant (RUQ)
○ Left upper quadrant (LUQ)
○ Right lower quadrant (RLQ)
○ Left lower quadrant (LLQ)
● The 9 regions include:
○ Right and left hypochondriac
○ Epigastric
○ Right and left lumbar
○ Umbilical
○ Right and left inguinal or iliac
○ Hypogastric
Cells tissues and organs
● Anatomy is the study of the structure of the human body
● Physiology is the study of the function of these structures
● The body is made up of small parts (cells) that combine to make tissues and organs
● The intracellular contents within the cell include:
○ Cytoplasm, a gel-like substance
○ Organelles, (endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, messenger
RNA, mitochondria, the nucleus of the cell, and ribosomes.)
● Mitosis is the process by which a cell divides.

Disease Categories
● Congenital
● Degenerative
● Environmental
● Genetic
● Hereditary
● Iatrogenic
● Idiopathic
● Infectious
● Neoplastic
● Nosocomial
● Nutritional
Onset of disease
● The onset of disease is often noticed because of symptoms and/or signs
● A symptom is any deviation from health that is experienced or felt by the patient
● When a symptom can be seen or detected by others, it is known as a sign.
● Symptomatology is the clinical picture of all the patient’s symptoms and signs.
● A syndrome is a set of symptoms and signs associated with, and characteristic of, one
particular disease.
● Patients who are asymptomatic (showing no symptoms or signs) can still have a disease,
but one that can only be detected by medical tests.
● The course of a disease includes all events from the onset of the disease until its final
outcome.
● Symptoms and signs may be:
○ Acute (sudden in nature and severe in intensity)
○ Subacute (less severe in intensity, or
○ Chronic (continuing three months or more)
● The course of a disease ends in one of the following outcomes:
○ Recuperation or recovery
○ Disability
○ Terminal illness (AKA DEATH)

Gastroenterology
● Gastrointestinal system (GI) System
○ Begins at the mouth, continues through the thoracic cavity, and fills much of the
abdominal cavity
○ The upper GI system includes structures from the mouth through the stomach.
○ The lower GI system includes structure from the small intestine through the anus
○ The purpose of the GI system is to digest food, absorb nutrients, and remove
undigested material (waste) from the body.
● The oral cavity and the pharynx
○ The GI system begins in the mouth, or oral cavity
○ The oral cavity contains the teeth, gums, tongue, hard palate, and soft palate with
its fleshy, hanging, uvula.
○ The oral cavity is lined with mucosa, a mucous membrane that produces thin
mucus.
○ Receptors on the tongue perceive taste and send this sensory information to the
gustatory cortex in the brain.
○ The sight, smell, and taste of food cause the salivary glands to release saliva into
the mouth; this moistens foods as they are chewed and swallowed.
○ Saliva also contains an enzyme that begins the process of mastication.
 ○ There are three pairs of salivary glands: the parotid glands, the sublingual glands,
and the submandibular glands.
○ The teeth tear, chew, and grind food during the process of mastication.
● Esophagus
○ A flexible, muscular tube that connects the pharynx to the stomach.
○ Lined with mucosa that produces mucus
○ By coordinated contractions of its wall - the process of peristalsis - food moves
toward the stomach.
● Stomach
○ A large, elongated sac in the upper abdominal cavity that receives food from the
esophagus
○ Divided into four areas; the cardia, fundus, body, and pylorus.
○ The gastric mucosa is arranged in thick, deep folds known as rugae which expand
as the stomach fills with food
○ The mucosa produces mucus that protects the lining of the stomach from the acid
the stomach produces.
○ Two sphincters (muscular glands) keep food in the stomach
○ The lower esophageal sphincter is located in the distal esophagus
○ The pyloric sphincter is located at the distal end of the stomach
○ Chyme is a semisolid mixture of partially digested food, saliva, and digestive
enzymes in the stomach.
● Small intestine
○ A long, hollow tube that receives chyme from the stomach
○ Is divided into 3 parts: the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum
● Large intestine
○ A larger tube that receives undigested material and some water from the small
intestine
○ Consists of the cecum, colon, rectum, and anus.
○ The walls contain haustra (puckered pouches) that can greatly expand, as needed.
● Abdomen and abdominopelvic cavity
○ Contains the largest organs (viscera) of the gastrointestinal system
○ The walls of the abdominopelvic cavity are lined with peritoneum, a membrane
that secretes peritoneal fluid.
○ This watery fluid fills the space between the organs and allows them to slide past
each other during the movements of digestion.
○ The peritoneum also becomes the mesentery, a thick, fan-shaped sheet that
supports the jejunum and ileum.
● Liver
○ The largest solid organ in the body
○ Located in the upper right abdominal cavity
 ○ An accessory organ of digestion that contributes to, but is not physically involved
in, the process of digestion.
○ Liver cells (hepatocytes) continuously produce bile, a yellow-green, bitter-tasting,
thick fluid.
● Gallbladder
○ An accessory organ of digestion posterior to the liver
○ Concentrates and stores bile.
○ The presence of fatty chyme in the duodenum causes the gallbladder to contract,
sending bile from the common bile duct into the duodenum to digest fats.
● Pancreas
○ An accessory organ of digestion posterior to the stomach.
○ The presence of food in the duodenum causes the pancreas to secrete digestive
enzymes through the pancreatic duct and into the duodenum
○ Also functions as an organ of the endocrine system.
● Physiology of digestion
○ Two parts to digestion:
■ Mechanical
■ Chemical
○ Mechanical digestion involves mastication, deglutition, and peristalsis to break
down foods.
○ Mechanical digestion also involves breaking apart fats in the duodenum.
○ Fatty chyme stimulates the duodenum to secrete the hormone cholecystokinin,
which stimulates the gallbladder to contract and release bile
○ Bile breaks apart large globules of fat during the process of emulsification.
○ Chemical digestion uses enzymes and acids to break down foods.
○ The enzyme amylase in saliva begins to break down carbohydrate foods in the
mouth.
○ The stomach secretes the following substances that continue the process of
chemical digestion.
■ Hydrochloric acid
■ Pepsinogen
■ Gastrin
○ The stomach secretes a substance known as intrinsic factor, which helps vitamin
B12 be absorbed from the intestine into the blood.
○ When the stomach does not produce enough intrinsic factor, vitamin B12 is not
absorbed.
○ Chemical digestion continues in the small intestines
○ Cholecystokinin stimulates the pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes into the
duodenum:
■ Amylase
 ■ Lipase
■ Other enzymes break down proteins.
○ Absorption of nutrients and water through the intestinal wall into the blood takes
place in the small intestine
○ Absorption of water continues in the large intestines
○ Absorbed nutrients are carried by blood to the liver.
○ The liver plays an important role in regulation nutrients such as glucose and
amino acids
○ Excessive glucose in the blood is stored in the liver as glycogen and released
when the blood glucose level is low.
○ The liver uses amino acids to build plasma proteins and clotting factors for the
blood.
○ Elimination occurs when undigested materials and water are eliminated from the
body in a solid waste form known as feces or stool.
○ The process of elimination is a bowel movement or defecation.

Pulmonology:
● Anatomy and physiology
○ Consists of the right and left lungs and the air passageways that connect the lungs
to the outside of the body.
○ The upper respiratory system in the head and neck include the nose, nasal cavity,
and pharynx (throat)
○ The upper respiratory system shares structures with the ears, nose and throat
(ENT) system.
○ The lower respiratory system includes the larynx (voice box) and the trachea
(windpipe) in the neck and the bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli in the lungs.
○ The lungs fill much of the thoracic cavity.
○ Purpose of the respirtory system is to bring oxygen to the body and expel the
waste product carbon dioxide.
● Nose and nasal cavity
○ The nose contains the nasal cavity, which is divided in the center by the nasal
septum
○ On each side of the cavity are three long, bony projections: then superior, middle,
and inferior turbinates, or nasal conchae. These jut into the nasal cavity and slow
down inhaled air so that it can be warmed and moistened.
○ Nasal cavity is lined with mucosa, a mucous membrane that humidifies the air and
produces mucus
○ Mucus and hairs in the nose trop inhale articles of dust, pollen, smoke, and
bacteria and keep them from entering the lungs.
● Pharynx
 ○ Mucous membrane of the pharynx warm and moisten inhaled air and trap
particles.
○ A common passageway for inhaled air, exhaled air, and food.
● Larynx (voice box)
○ At it's inferior end, the pharynx divides into the two parts: the larynx which leads
to the trachea and the esophagus which leads to the stomach
○ Remains open during respiration and speech, allowing air to pass in and out
through the vocal cords.
○ During swallowing, muscles in the neck pull the larynx up to meet the epiglottis,
which seals off the larynx entrance, so that swallowed food moves across the
epiglottis and into the esophagus, not into the trachea.
● Trache (windpipe)
○ Below the vocal cords, the larynx merges into the trachea, which is about 1 inch
in diameter and 4 inches in length.
○ A passageway for inhaled and exhaled air.
○ A column
● Bronchi
○ The inferior end of the trachea splits to become the right and left primary bronchi
○ The primary bronchi contain cartilage rings that provide support
○ Each primary bronchus enters a lung and branches into smaller bronchioles.
○ The smallest bronchioles (diameter 1 mm or less) have smooth muscle around
them, but no cartilage
○ The lumen is the central opening in the bronchi and the bronchioles through
which air passes
○ Bronchopuulmonolgy refers to the bronchi and the lungs.
○ The bronchial tree includes the trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles
○ The bronchial tree is lined with cilia, small hairs that move in coordinated waves
to carry mucus and trapped particles towards the throat where they can be
expelled.
● Lungs
○ Spongy, air-filled structures
○ Each lung contains lobes, large divisions whose dividing lines are visible on the
outer surface of the lung.
○ The right lung, which is larger, has three lobes:
■ The right upper lobe (RUL)
■ The right middle lobe (RML
■ The right lower lobe (RLL)
○ The left lung has two lobes:
■ The left upper lobe (LUL)
■ The left lower lobe (LLL)
 ○ The rounded tip is the apex
○ The base of each lung lies along the diaphragm
● The thoracic cavity
○ The thorax is a bony cage that consists of the sternum (breast bone), the ribs, and
bones of the spine; it surrounds and protects the thoracic cavity.
○ The mediastinum, an irregularly shaped area between the lungs, contains the
trachea (and the heart and esophagus)
○ The diaphragm, a sheet of skeletal muscle, is active during normal or forceful
inhalation.
○ Each lung is surrounded by the pleura, a double-layered serous membrane.
● Physiology of respiration
○ Respiration consists of breathing in and breathing out
○ Breathing in is inhalation or inspiration
○ Breathing out is exhalation or expiration
○ Receptors in large arteries in the chest and neck send these centers information
about the blood level of oxygen: receptors in the brain send information about the
blood level or carbon dioxide.
○ A normal depth and rate of respiration is known as eupnea.
○