First Aid and Medical Terms Glossary
Dislocation
A displacement of a bone from a joint, also called luxation.
Dummy
A hollow plastic shell in the shape of a human body without arms and legs.
Ecchymosis
A hemorrhagic spot in the skin or mucous membrane (bruise).
Eye Drops
A medicated solution for the eyes that is applied in drops.
Faint
A temporary loss of consciousness that is self-correcting caused by generalized cerebral ischemia.
Feel Ill
Not in good health, ill, afflicted with disease.
Fever
Any body temperature elevation over 37.8º C.
Glasgow Scale
A scale designed to assess the level of alertness in humans in a practical way.
Gloves
A covering for the hands worn for protection against cold or dirt and typically having separate parts for each finger and the thumb.
Haemorrhage
Profuse bleeding from ruptured blood vessels.
Harm
Physical injury or damage.
Headache
Pain located in the head, such as above the eyes, around the temples, or at the base of the skull.
Health
A relative state in which one is able to function well physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.
Heart Rate
The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually expressed as beats per minute.
Heartstroke
A severe, often fatal illness produced by exposure to excessively high temperatures.
Homeostasis
The tendency of biological systems to maintain relatively constant conditions in the internal environment.
Hydrocortisone
A steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex and used medicinally to treat inflammation resulting from eczema and rheumatism.
Hyperthermia
Abnormally high body temperature.
Hypothermia
Body temperature that is below 35ºC.
Insufflation
To blow air or medicated powder into the lungs.
Injury
Physical harm or damage to someone’s body caused by an accident or attack.
Ischemia
Inadequate flow of blood; a decrease in the blood supply to a bodily organ, tissue, or part caused by constriction or obstruction of the blood vessels.
Joint
The point where two bones meet.
Lacerate
To cut or tear something, especially the flesh.
Light-Headedness
The feeling of dizziness or of being about to faint.
Lump
A hard swelling found in or on the body because of illness or injury.
Miosis
Eye constriction of the pupil.
Paraesthesia
A skin sensation, such as burning, pricking, itching, or tingling, with no apparent physical cause.
Plaster
A strip of material with adhesive on one side used for covering small cuts or sores.
Poison
A substance that can make people or animals ill or kill them if they eat or drink it.
Rescue Harness
A harness attached to the rescuer’s shoulders with a rope onto which the victim can hold.
Rescue Tube
A flexible plastic foam tube attached to a rope and webbing with which the rescuer hooks onto to rescue the victim.
Safety Lateral Position
A first-aid position to practice when one is in the presence of an unconscious victim showing signs of life.
Signs
Objective evidence that can be observed by others.
Shift
Alternation of working time with rest.
Splint
A long, firm object used as support for a broken bone so that the bone stays in a particular position while it heals.
Sprain
The twisting of a joint with partial rupture of its ligaments.
Stitch
Microtears of muscle fibers during exercise that cause pain.
Sticking Plaster
A piece of material that you can put over a small cut in the skin to protect it and keep it clean.
Symptom
Any feeling of illness or physical or mental change that is caused by a particular disease. Symptoms are subjective to the patient.
Sterile Dressing
A form of absorbent cotton fabric that is generally bonded on both sides so that it does not stick to the wound or area.
Sterile Gauze
Gauze that is usually kept in a sealed package to ensure that it’s perfectly clean.
Survival Blanket
A medical device with a silver and gold surface on either side used for protection against hypothermia by emergency medical services and by sportspeople.
Syncope
A temporary loss of consciousness or fainting that is self-correcting, caused by generalized cerebral ischemia.
Tachycardia
Excessively rapid heartbeat.
Tissue
A group or layer of similarly specialized cells that together perform certain special functions.
Tourniquet
A device for compression or restriction of an artery or vein.
Tweezers
A small tool of two pieces of metal joined at one end, used for plucking (removing) hairs, etc.
Twist
To turn sharply or cause to be wrenched out of place (suffer a violent pull) – to sprain.
Unconsciousness
An abnormal state of lack of response to sensory stimuli, resulting from injury, illness, shock, or some other bodily disorder.
Vein
A tube that carries blood to the heart from other parts of the body.
Ventricular Fibrillation
A pathology where there is a very rapid, uncoordinated, ineffective series of contractions throughout the lower chambers of the heart.
Wipe
A piece of absorbent material, for example, paper or cloth, used for wiping a surface.
Wound
An injury to the body, typically involving a cut or break in the skin.