main glossary ect-hk

Abrasion	A type of wound where the top layer of skin is removed, usually with very little bleeding. This type of wound is usually quite painful, and can easily be infected since dirt and germs can become embedded in it.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support	(ACLS) An educational course for advanced healthcare providers in which they are taught how to manage cardiac arrest victims in a hospital setting. Teaching includes; advanced airway management skills, cardiac drug usage, defibrillation and arrhythmia interpretation.
American Heart Association	(AHA) An organization whose mission it is to fight heart disease and stroke.
Anaphylaxis	(severe allergic reaction) Life-threatening allergic reaction when cells in the body's respiratory system swell causing the victim to suffocate. The immediate treatment is the use of adrenalin (epinephrine) to counteract the effects- this is usually given as an injection.
Arrhythmia	A disturbance in the normal heart rate and electrical rhythm, usually life-threatening.
Asystole	An absence of electromechanical activity within the heart. Appears on the electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG) monitor as a straight or 'flat line'. This rhythm cannot be shocked by a defibrillator.
Avulsion	A type of wound where skin is "torn" partially or fully away. This type of wound tends to bleed a lot.
Basic Life Support	(BLS) An educational course for both the general public and healthcare providers. Teaches basic CPR skills and simple resuscitation adjuncts as well as first aid for choking.
Biphasic	(AED) An automatic external defibrillator which passes sequential waves of current through the heart in opposite directions, allowing smaller amounts of energy to be used rather than a standard 'monophasic' defibrillator. Advantages include: (i) longer battery life and (ii) less risk of heart damage during defibrillation.
Blood Pressure	The output of muscle contraction in the heart, creating a recurrent pattern.
Body Substance Isolation	(BSI) A practice, commonly used by first aiders and healthcare professionals, which protects them from pathogens. The main message is: "Protect yourself from any of the patient's body fluid". This can involve wearing latex barrier gloves, barrier aprons, using a face mask, using a face shield or CPR mask, etc.
Burns	A type of injury that comes in three forms, usually caused by heat/friction, chemicals or radiation. 1st Degree Burn (superficial) - A type of burn where only the top layer of skin is burned. Pain is usually intense, but the burn is usually not serious. Often caused by solar radiation (sunburn) or minor heat burns (rope-burn, scalding) 2nd Degree Burn (partial thickness) - A type of burn that affects both the outer and inner layer of skin. Pain is usually intense, and blisters form to protect against infection. Can be life-threatening if this type of burn covers a large percentage of the body. Normally caused by hot water splashed on skin, or heat burns. 3rd Degree Burn (full thickness) - A type of burn which affects all skin layers. The damage is so deep that there is very little pain; the nerve endings in this area have been destroyed. This area of skin usually looks dry, charred/black or even waxy. Infection is one of the most serious concerns, as there no longer is any barrier protecting that particular area from germs. Medical attention should be sought no matter how small a third degree burn is.
Cardiac Arrest	(also known as Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) or Sudden Cardiac Death) The sudden and life-threatening onset of chaotic and unproductive heart rhythm caused by an arrhythmia. This is not the same as a heart attack, although a heart attack can cause Cardiac Arrest.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation	(CPR) A method of artificial breathing and circulation usually administered by a CPR certified responder, when the natural heart action and breathing have stopped. Artificial rescue breaths and chest compressions are used which are only about 1/3 as effective of a normal circulation.
Chain of Survival	(Cardiac Chain of Survival) A protocol advocated by the American Heart Association. This "chain" demonstrates the immediate care needed for a cardiac arrest victim in order to achieve the best outcomes for survival. The chain goes in this order: Early access (Victim is found and 999 is called) Early CPR (To maintain oxygen flow to the brain and other vital organs) Early defibrillation (To reverse ventricular fibrillation, which is present in 80-90% of all cardiac arrests) Early Advanced Life Support. In theory, if all parts of the chain occur within 1 minute of each other (except for the Advanced Life Support part) , the chances of survival are about 50%. This is an incredible statistic, especially if one considers that if CPR is delayed and no defibrillator is brought, the victim has a 0-2% chance of survival.
Defibrillation	An energy pulse delivered to the heart to stop ventricular fibrillation.
Electrocardiogram	(ECG, EKG) Graphic representation of the electrical activity within the heart, detected by electrodes placed on the body.
Electrode	Electrically conductive element placed in contact with the body tissue to either detect electrical activity of the heart (ECG monitoring) or to deliver electrical energy (defibrillation or pacing).
Emergency Cardiovascular Care	(ECC) All aspects of assessment and treatment of victims of respiratory and/or cardiac emergencies and stroke, including basic and advanced life support interventions.
Emergency Medical Technician	An American term for ambulance attendants. In Hong Kong, they are commonly referred to as ambulancemen. They are certified in many fields, such as oxygen administration, automated external defibrillation (AED), basic life support, airway management and are usually responsible for transporting a patient to a hospital.
Fibrillation	Totally disorganized electrical activity within the heart which produces an ineffective pumping of the heart.
First Responder	A level of certification designed for people first on the scene, such as police officers, firefighters and industrial health professionals; the first of four levels of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification.
Foreign-Body Airway Obstruction	(FBAO) An emergency in which the victim's airway is blocked by a foreign body. Basic Life Support (BLS) techniques are used to clear the airway to restore respiration.
Healthcare Provider	Persons who provide health care as part of their job responsibilities. In the purest sense, healthcare providers work for emergency medical services, hospitals, medical clinics, etc, but a child-care worker or employee in any business who is required to provide emergency care may be deemed a healthcare provider in his or her employment setting.
Heat Exhaustion	Medical condition caused by elevated body temperature. Heat exhaustion is much less serious than heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is characterized by fatigue, nausea and heavy sweating. While usually only mild, it can lead to heat stroke.
Heat Stroke	Medical condition caused by elevated body temperature where the body's internal organs begin to shut down because of excessive heat. Heat stroke is a serious medical condition and requires immediate medical care.
Heimlich Maneuver	(Abdominal Thrusts) First aid given to a choking victim, where the area under the victim's diaphragm is compressed to create an artificial "cough". This usually enables the foreign body to be removed.
Hyperglycemia	(Diabetic Coma) A medical condition that usually affects type one diabetics (who cannot naturally synthesize insulin) where a victim's blood sugar is abnormally high. A person usually goes into a diabetic coma if they have forgotten to take their insulin. Can be identified by a fruity (acetone) smell in the patient's mouth and unconsciousness in the late stages. This can be a life-threatening situation, and immediate medical transport to a hospital is the most important goal for the first aider. People who are at risk of developing hyperglycemia should wear a medical-identification bracelet in case they go into a diabetic coma, so that first aiders will be alerted early to his/her condition/medical history.
Hypoglycemia	(Insulin shock) A medical condition that affects diabetics. Hypoglycemia occurs when a patient's blood sugar drops seriously below normal. While mild hypoglycemia can easily be reversed by the intake of sugar, serious cases may result in confusion, unconsciousness and even death. It is advisable that anyone who is at risk of developing hypoglycemia wear a medical-alert (medic-alert) bracelet in case they become unconscious, so that first aiders will be alerted early to his/her condition/medical history.
Hypothermia	A medical condition where the patient's body temperature falls below normal. While mild hypothermia can be reversed, serious hypothermia can cause death. Hypothermia frequently occurs in cold areas and is usually present with near drowning/drowning victims.
Incision	A wound whose edges are smooth, resembling a surgical cut. Bleeding and pain usually depends on the depth, size and location. Paper cuts or cuts caused by knives usually create this type of wound.
Instructor	An individual who has received Provider and Instructor training through the AHA or NSC and who is qualified to teach Provider Courses to other individuals.
Layperson responder	Any person responding to an emergency that does not have an advanced healthcare-level of training. A Layperson responder can have training as high as AED certification, and are essential for the Chain of Survival. Layperson responders could be citizen responders, office co-workers, gym instructors, appointed first-aiders, and such like.
Myocardial Infarction	(MI) Death of the myocardium (cardiac muscle) resulting from interruption of blood supply to that area of the myocardium, often referred to as a heart attack.
Pathogen	Any organism that can infect a human being. Some pathogens include: HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), HBV (Hepatitis B Virus), TB (tuberculosis), etc.
Pediatric Advanced Life Support	(PALS) An education course for advanced healthcare providers. It teaches advanced resuscitation techniques such as advanced airway management, cardiac drug therapy and arrhythmia interpretation for children (ages 1-8 years) and infants (ages 1-12 months).
Pediatric Basic Life Support	(PBLS) An educational course, open to both the general public and healthcare providers, in which basic resuscitation techniques of CPR and choking first aid for children (ages 1-8 years) and infants (ages 1-12 months) are taught.
Rescue Breathing	(Expired Air Resuscitation) Breaths given by a rescuer to a non-breathing casualty. This technique is used alone when a pulse is present, but there is no breathing, and is used together with chest compressions during CPR.
Response Time	The duration of time between a person's collapse and when defibrillation is administered; the average time for an ambulance in Hong Kong is around 12 minutes.
Stroke	(CVA or TIA) A stroke, or a Cerebrovascular Accident, occurs when blood vessels that deliver oxygen to the brain, either rupture or become clogged, causing brain/nerve cells to die. Results are usually devastating as nerve/brain cells are not replaced. Usually characterized by a slurring of words, weakness on one side of the body, and a drooping facial expression on one side of the face. A Transient Ischemic Attack, or TIA, is also called a "mini-stroke". These are strokes that last only a few minutes before stopping, whereupon normal brain functions continue. Although some are short, damage can still be devastating. These mini-strokes are usually the prelude to a full blown CVA. In either case, medical attention should be promptly sought.
Universal Precautions	A set of guidelines protecting first aiders or healthcare professionals from pathogens. The main message is "Don't touch or use anything that has the victim's body fluid on it without a barrier." It also assumes that all body fluid of a patient is infectious, and must be treated accordingly.
Ventricular Fibrillation	(V-Fib) A lethal arrhythmia characterized by the rapid, chaotic movements of the heart muscle that causes the heart to stop functioning and leads quickly to cardiac arrest.
Xiphoid Process	A bone under the meeting of the ribs in the sternum. It is very sensitive to pressure, and may break off and puncture the liver and cause other internal injuries. This spot is where CPR compressions should BE AVOIDED.