Vocabulary & Abbreviations
A searchable glossary of key terms, mnemonics, and medical abbreviations.
EMT Glossary
Master the language of prehospital medicine.
| Term | Abbreviation | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Complaint | CC | The main reason why the patient called for help, in their own words. |
| Altered Mental Status | AMS | Any state of awareness that is different from the patient's normal baseline, ranging from confusion to unresponsiveness. |
| Baseline Vital Signs | N/A | The very first set of vital signs obtained on a patient, used for comparison. |
| Auscultation | N/A | Listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope (e.g., listening to lung sounds). |
| Palpation | N/A | The process of using one's hands to check the body while diagnosing an illness or injury (e.g., feeling for tenderness). |
| Last Known Well | LKW | The exact time the patient was last seen in their usual state of health; critical for stroke patients. |
| Mechanism of Injury | MOI | The force or forces that caused an injury (e.g., a fall, a car crash). |
| Nature of Illness | NOI | The type of medical condition or illness the patient is experiencing. |
| Indication | N/A | A valid reason to use a certain test, medication, or procedure. |
| Contraindication | N/A | A specific situation in which a drug, procedure, or surgery should not be used because it may be harmful to the person. |
| Personal Protective Equipment | PPE | Specialized clothing or equipment worn for protection against infectious materials (e.g., gloves, masks, gowns). |
| Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment | MOLST | A medical order form that tells others the patient's medical wishes for end-of-life care. |
| Myocardial Infarction | MI | A 'heart attack'; the death of heart muscle from a sudden blockage of a coronary artery. |
| Cardiac Arrest | N/A | When the heart suddenly stops beating effectively, causing a loss of pulse and consciousness. |
| Cerebrovascular Accident | CVA | A 'stroke'; a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain, causing brain damage. |
| Angina Pectoris | N/A | Chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. It's often a warning sign for a heart attack. |
| Atherosclerosis | N/A | The build-up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances (plaque) on the artery walls, which can restrict blood flow. |
| Ischemia | N/A | Inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles. |
| Aneurysm | N/A | A bulge or ballooning in the wall of a blood vessel. If it ruptures, it can cause life-threatening bleeding. |
| Bradycardia | N/A | A slower than normal heart rate (typically under 60 beats per minute for adults). |
| Tachycardia | N/A | A faster than normal heart rate (typically over 100 beats per minute for adults). |
| Hypotension | N/A | Abnormally low blood pressure, which can cause dizziness, fainting, and inadequate blood flow to organs. |
| Hypertension | HTN | Abnormally high blood pressure. |
| Edema | N/A | Swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body's tissues. Pedal edema (in the feet) is common in heart failure. |
| Palpitations | N/A | A noticeable rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat. |
| Ventricular Fibrillation | V-Fib | A life-threatening, chaotic heart rhythm that results in a rapid, inadequate heartbeat. It is a shockable rhythm. |
| Asystole | N/A | A 'flat-line' ECG reading; the absence of any cardiac electrical activity. It is not a shockable rhythm. |
| Dyspnea | N/A | Difficult or labored breathing; the feeling of being 'short of breath'. |
| Apnea | N/A | The temporary cessation (stopping) of breathing. |
| Hypoxia | N/A | A condition where the body or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply at the tissue level. |
| Cyanosis | N/A | A bluish discoloration of the skin, lips, or nail beds resulting from poor circulation or inadequate oxygenation of the blood. |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | COPD | A group of lung diseases (like emphysema and chronic bronchitis) that block airflow and make it difficult to breathe. |
| Aspiration | N/A | Breathing foreign objects, such as food, saliva, or stomach contents, into your airway and lungs. |
| Pneumothorax | N/A | A collapsed lung, occurring when air leaks into the space between your lung and chest wall. |
| Hemothorax | N/A | A collection of blood in the space between the chest wall and the lung (the pleural cavity). |
| Bag-Valve-Mask | BVM | A handheld device used to provide positive pressure ventilation (rescue breaths) to a patient who is not breathing or not breathing adequately. |
| Tidal Volume | N/A | The amount of air that moves in or out of the lungs with each normal respiratory cycle. |
| Wheezing | N/A | A high-pitched whistling sound made while breathing, typically caused by narrowed airways (bronchoconstriction), common in asthma. |
| Rales (Crackles) | N/A | Clicking, rattling, or crackling noises heard in the lungs, often indicating fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema). |
| Rhonchi | N/A | Coarse, low-pitched rattling sounds, usually caused by secretions or mucus in the larger bronchial airways. |
| Stridor | N/A | A harsh, high-pitched respiratory sound, caused by an obstruction or narrowing in the upper airway (e.g., larynx or trachea). |
| Syncope | N/A | Fainting or a sudden, temporary loss of consciousness, usually due to a drop in blood pressure. |
| Seizure | N/A | A sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain that can cause changes in behavior, movements, or feelings. |
| Postictal | N/A | The altered state of consciousness after an epileptic seizure. The patient may be confused, drowsy, or combative. |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | GCS | A scoring system used to describe the level of consciousness in a person, typically after a traumatic brain injury. |
| Aphasia | N/A | A language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate. Can be expressive (can't speak) or receptive (can't understand). |
| Hemiparesis | N/A | Weakness on one entire side of the body. A common sign of a stroke. |
| Hemorrhage | N/A | Severe, uncontrolled bleeding. |
| Shock | N/A | A life-threatening condition that occurs when the body is not getting enough blood flow, depriving tissues and organs of oxygen. |
| Contusion | N/A | A bruise; an injury where blood capillaries have been ruptured without breaking the skin. |
| Laceration | N/A | A deep cut or tear in skin or flesh. |
| Abrasion | N/A | A scrape or wearing away of the upper layer of skin. |
| Avulsion | N/A | An injury in which a body structure (like a flap of skin) is forcibly detached from its normal point of insertion. |
| Evisceration | N/A | The displacement of internal organs outside of the body through an opening in the body wall. |
| Flail Chest | N/A | A life-threatening condition where a segment of the rib cage breaks and becomes detached from the rest of the chest wall, causing paradoxical motion. |
| Crepitus | N/A | A grating sound or sensation produced by friction between bone and cartilage or the fractured parts of a bone. |
| Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment | START | A method used to quickly sort injured people into groups based on their need for immediate medical treatment during a mass casualty incident. |
| Diabetes Mellitus | DM | A disease in which the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired, resulting in abnormal blood sugar levels. |
| Hypoglycemia | N/A | Low blood sugar. Can cause altered mental status, seizures, and unconsciousness. |
| Hyperglycemia | N/A | High blood sugar. If untreated, can lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). |
| Anaphylaxis | N/A | A severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can cause airway swelling, difficulty breathing, and shock. |
| Sepsis | N/A | A life-threatening condition caused by the body's overwhelming and extreme response to an infection. |
| Diaphoresis | N/A | Excessive sweating, often a sign of a serious medical condition like a heart attack or shock. |