Shared Flashcard Set

Details

PSU-A: Nurs 225 Exam 1
Flashcards of Patho Exam 1
61
Nursing
Post-Graduate
09/16/2012

Additional Nursing Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Validity
Definition
The tool is accurately measuring what it's intended to measure.
Term
Syndrome
Definition
A compilation of signs and symptoms that are characteristic of a certain disease state.
Term
Complications
Definition
Problems that arise while treating a disease. Ex- a person has their appendix out, and they get an infection as a result.
Term
Sequelae
Definition
impairments that follow or are directly caused by the disease process.
Term
Reliability
Definition
The extent to which a tool will get the same measurement if repeated.
Term
Sensitivity
Definition
The proportion of people with the disease who will yield a positive result from the test (Called true-positives).
Term
Specificity
Definition
The proportion of people without the disease that will receive a negative result from the test (called a true-negative). This is measured ONLY WITHIN PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE THE DISEASE.
Term
Acute
Definition
A disease that is relatively severe, but self-limiting.
Term
Chronic
Definition
A continuous, long term process that involves a permanent change in physiological functioning.
Term
Sub-Acute
Definition
Inbetween acute and chronic; not as severe as acute, but not as prolonged as chronic.
Term
Clinical Course
Definition
A term that describes the progression of a disease.
Term
Pre-Clinical Stage
Definition
The disease is not apparent, but is destined to manifest clinically.
Term
Sub-Clinical Disease
Definition
The disease is not apparent and is not destined to manifest clinically.
Term
Clinical Disease
Definition
A disease that has fully manifested with the presence of significant signs and symptoms.
Term
Carrier Status
Definition
An individual who harbors an organism or disease trait but is not clinically affected by it. The state may be limited in terms of time (such as in infectious diseases) or may persist throughout a life time (such as with genetic carrier states).
Term
Epidemiology
Definition
The state of health states within human populations.
Term
Incidence
Definition
The number of new disease cases within a population.
Term
Prevalence
Definition
The total number of existing cases of a disease state within a population.
Term
Mortality
Definition
The statistics surrounding the cause of death for individuals within a population.
Term
Morbidity
Definition
Describes the effects of the disease on a person's life. Based on the functional effects of a disease or health state.
Term
Natural History
Definition
Refers to the progression and projected outcome of a disease without medical intervention.
Term
Prognosis
Definition
The predicted outcome and prospect of recovery for a disease state.
Term
Pain
Definition
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that indicates potential or actual tissue injury.

Pain is highly subjective, multidimensional, and individualized.
Term
The pain experience depends upon what 2 things?
Definition
Sensory stimulation and perception.
Term
Nociceptive Pain
Definition
Generated by legitimate tissue damage.
Term
Neuropathic Pain
Definition
Arises from nerve damage or dysfunction in the CNS or periphery.
Term
General Somatosensory Neurons
Definition
Have branches that spread all over the body. They sense touch, temp, and pain in the periphery.
Term
Special Somatosensory Neurons
Definition
Found in the joints, muscles, and tendons. They sense position and movement of the body.
Term
Visceral Somatosensory Neurons
Definition
Located in the organs. They sense fullness, discomfort, and organ pain.
Term
First Order Neurons
Definition
Site to spinal cord.

4 Types of Sensation:
1) discriminative touch
2) temp
3) sense of movement in the joints
4) pain
Term
Second Order Neurons
Definition
Spinal cord to thalamus.
Term
Third Order Neurons
Definition
Thalamus to cortex.
Term
Type A Neurons
Definition
Have the fastest conduction speed. They are myelinated and sense all types of pain, cutaneous pressure, touch, and cold sensation.
Term
Type B Neurons
Definition
Mid speed. They are myelinated and transmit sensory information from cutaneous and subq mechanoreceptors.
Term
Type C Neurons
Definition
Slowest speed. They are unmyelinated and convey warm-hot sense, mech and chem heat, and cold-induced pain.
Term
Discriminative Pathway
Definition
Second order pathway that goes from the spinal cord straight up to the thalamus. It transmits info regarding perception, arousal, and motor control. The pathway crosses in the medulla.

It is composed of 3 neurons.
1) dorsal root ganglion
2) dorsal column
3) Thalamic
Term
Anterolateral Pathway
Definition
The other sensory pathway. It transmits information regarding pain, thermal sensation, crude touch, and pressure. The path crosses in the anterior commissure and synapes with the thalamus and other regulatory centers for the sympathetic nervous system.
Term
When does pain come into ones consciousness?
Definition
In the third order pathway. The thalamus can roughly localize the pain as crude sense, but it becomes fully acknowledged and localized when it hits the somatosensory cortex.
Term
Acuity
Definition
The ability to localize the origin of a sensation.
Term
Tactile Sensation
Definition
The basic somatosensory system. It involves the sensation of pressure, touch, and vibration.
Term
Thermal Sensation
Definition
Involves 3 receptors: cold, warm, and pain. They respond rapidly to sudden changes in temp and then adapt over a few minutes.
Term
Position Sensation
Definition
The ability for a person to sense their limb without the use of sight. Also called proproception. Lesions on the posterior column will interfere with position sense, and the vestibular system plays a key role.
Term
Neospinalthalamic Tract
Definition
A sub-pathway that involves pain. It provides rapid pain transmission. The pain is typically sensed as sharp or stabbing in nature. It provides precise sensation of the location of the pain.
Term
Paleospinalthalamic Tract
Definition
A sub-pathway for pain. It is a slow conduction tract that transmits sensory info that doesnt need to be localized or discriminated against gradual increases of intensity. Stimuli is interpreted as diffuse, dull, aching pain that is typically associated with chronic or visceral pain. Pain in this pathway is associated with the mood-altering, attention-narrowing effects of pain.
Term
PAG Region
Definition
The Periacqueductal gray region of the brain. Electrostimulation of this area has been found to develop an analgesic effect that was specific and did not affect the pt's level of consciousness or ability to react to verbal/visual stimuli. This area is called the endogenous analgesia center.
Term
Hyperesthesia
Definition
Unpleasant hypersensitivity to pain.
Term
Hyperalgesia
Definition
Increase painfullness.
Term
Hypoesthsia
Definition
Reduced tactile sensation.
Term
Anesthsia
Definition
Absent tactile sensation.
Term
Analgesia
Definition
The absence of pain or the reduction of pain without an alteration in the level of consciousness.
Term
Paresthsia
Definition
Spontaneous, unpleasant sensations. Typically involving a pins and needles sensation.
Term
Hyperpathia
Definition
Characterized by an increased pain threshold, but, when reached, can cause prolonged pain if the stimulus is constant.
Term
Allodynia
Definition
Pain is perceived by a non-painful stimulus. Ex- the wind blows and causes someone to feel pain all over the affected area.
Term
Physiological Stress
Definition
A chemical or physical disturbance in the cells or tissue fluids produced by a change.
Term
Psychosocial Stress
Definition
Psychological changes that are produced by the experience of any life changing events.
Term
Environmental Stress
Definition
Stress that is caused by one's environment.
Term
Negative Feedback Loop
Definition
The stronger the signal is, the more your body will try to dampen it in order to return to homeostasis.
Term
Steady-state conditions
Definition
Any change in one of the conditions that your body considers as "normal" is met with immediate resistance, physiologically speaking. This is to maintain homeostasis.
Term
Intrusion
Definition
The pt will experience flashbacks during their waking hours or nightmares in which they relive the traumatic event in horrid detail.
Term
Avoidance
Definition
This refers to the emotional numbing that the pt experiences which disrupts the pt's personal relationships.
Term
Hyperarousal
Definition
This is a sign/symptom that can be seen through various maladaptive behaviors (such as increased irritability, sleep disturbances, exaggerated startle reflex, etc) in PTSD pts.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!