Additional Medical Terms

Chapter 2 Body Structure

Diseases/Conditions and Medical/Surgical Procedures

Section 04

Diseases and Conditions

Common general conditions
Adhesions
• Band of scar-like tissue
that forms between two
surfaces inside the body
and causes them to stick
together
• Common in the abdomen
Inflammation
• The body’s natural immune system response to some stimuli,
i.e. bug bite, bacteria/virus, cut or burn
• Immune cells respond by producing inflammatory mediators,
which cause blood vessels to dilate and become more
permeable
• WBCs (leukocytes) also flood in, moving out of the vessels into
the extracellular spaces
• These processes result in more blood flow to the site, causing
the characteristic signs of redness, swelling, heat, and pain
Sepsis
Occurs secondary to an infection somewhere in the body which goes into
the blood
Toxins released by the offending microorganisms stimulates inflammatory
mediator release to fight the infection, which then triggers widespread
inflammation
Vasodilation, vessel permeability (leaky), and micro-clot formation,
causing hypotension
This overwhelming systemic response starts a cascade which deprives
the organs and tissues of nutrients and oxygen
With continued hypotension, the heart weakens and organs start to fail,
leading to septic shock (multi-organ failure)
Section 05

Medical/Surgical Procedures
Therapeutic medical procedures
Cauterization
 Process of burning abnormal
tissue with electricity, heat, or
chemicals (silver nitrate)
 Used to destroy damaged or
diseased tissue or coagulate blood
vessels
 Anastomosis
 Connection between
2 vessels, such as
the surgical joining of
2 ducts, blood
vessels, or bowel
segments to allow
flow from one to the
other