Medical terms starting with C
50 entries
- -celeHernia, swelling, or bulging.
- -centesisSurgical puncture to remove fluid.
- -cideKilling or an agent that kills.
- -cusisHearing.
- -cyteCell.
- calcaneusThe heel bone. An infant heel puncture that reaches it can cause bone infection (osteomyelitis).
- calibrationTesting and adjusting an instrument so its readings match the true amount of the substance measured, as often as the…
- CAPCollege of American Pathologists: a CMS-approved accreditor whose Laboratory Accreditation Program sends peer…
- capillaryThe smallest blood vessel, where oxygen, nutrients and wastes pass between blood and tissue. A skin puncture collects…
- cardi/oHeart.
- carp/oWrist (carpal bones).
- cata-Down or breaking down.
- Category B infectious substanceShipping class for specimens that may hold infectious agents but are not high risk; labeled UN3373 and packed in…
- CBCComplete blood count: hematology panel giving the numbers of each blood cell type plus hemoglobin and hematocrit…
- ccCubic centimeter. Error-prone (ISMP): it can be misread as u (units). Write mL for blood and specimen volumes.
- CDCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention: the federal public health agency whose guidelines cover isolation…
- central venous catheterA thin tube placed in a large vein, ending near the heart, for long-term medicines or nutrition; it can also be used…
- centrifugationSpinning specimens to separate cells from serum or plasma, using the tube maker's time and speed; serum tubes must…
- centrifugeMachine that spins tubes fast to separate serum or plasma from cells. Load matched, balanced tubes; open the lid only…
- cephalic veinVein on the thumb side of the forearm and antecubital area; the second choice for venipuncture after the median…
- chain of custodySigned, dated record of each person who has a specimen, from collection to disposal, so a forensic or drug-test result…
- chain of infectionSix-step path germs follow: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry…
- chlorhexidine gluconateAntiseptic used, often in 70% alcohol, for blood donation and blood culture skin prep; WHO advises against it in…
- cholesterolA fatty substance in blood measured in a lipid panel. Fast only when the order says so, usually for 9 to 12 hours.
- circum-Around.
- clean-catch midstream specimenUrine collected after cleaning the urethral area: start voiding into the toilet, catch the middle portion in a sterile…
- CLIAClinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments: federal law covering any site that tests human specimens. A site running…
- clot activatorAdditive that makes blood clot faster so serum can be obtained; carried over into a citrate tube, it can distort…
- clotted specimenClots in a tube that should stay unclotted, often from too few or too-late inversions; rejected for hematology and…
- clotting timeThe time a serum tube stands at room temperature, as the tube maker specifies, so the clot forms fully before…
- CLSIClinical and Laboratory Standards Institute: a nonprofit that writes consensus lab standards, such as GP41 for venous…
- coagulationClotting: the chain of reactions in which clotting factors turn fibrinogen into a mesh of fibrin that holds a blood…
- cold packCold compress applied to a hematoma in the first 24 to 48 hours to limit swelling, later followed by warm compresses.
- collapsed veinA vein that flattens during the draw, often when a large tube or syringe pulls too hard on a small vein; use smaller…
- collectorIn DOT drug testing, the person who instructs the employee, receives and inspects the specimen, and starts and…
- con-With or together.
- contact precautionsGown and gloves put on entering the room and removed before leaving, with patient-dedicated equipment such as…
- contra-Against or opposite.
- copaymentA fixed dollar amount the patient pays for a service, such as $25 per visit, as opposed to coinsurance, a percentage.
- covered entityHIPAA category that must protect PHI: health plans, health care clearinghouses, and providers (a lab, for example)…
- CPOEComputerized provider order entry: the provider types test orders directly into the electronic record instead of…
- CPRCardiopulmonary resuscitation: emergency care for cardiac arrest. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest…
- critical valueA result showing a possibly life-threatening condition (a panic or alert value); the lab must tell the ordering…
- crossmatchTesting done before a transfusion, except in emergencies, to check that donor blood is compatible with the patient's…
- CRPC-reactive protein: measured in a blood sample to look for inflammation in the body.
- Custody and Control FormCCF: the federal form that documents a workplace drug-test specimen's chain of custody, from the employee to the…
- cutane/oSkin.
- CVACerebrovascular accident: the medical name for a stroke.
- CVCCentral venous catheter: a line whose tip lies in a large vein near the heart.
- cyt/oCell.