Medical terms starting with D
36 entries
- -dyniaPain.
- D/CError-prone abbreviation (ISMP): it can mean discharge or discontinue. Write the full word, discharge or discontinue…
- dactyl/oFinger or toe.
- de-Away from, removal, or loss of.
- dead volumeExtra sample an analyzer needs to pipet accurately, beyond the volume the test itself uses; part of a test's minimum…
- decontaminationOSHA term: using physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate or destroy bloodborne pathogens until a surface or…
- dehydrationA shortage of body water. Post-procedure care, as after a blood donation, includes encouraging fluids (hydration).
- deliriumSudden, often reversible confusion. A delirious patient may not give reliable identifiers, so a nurse or guardian…
- derm/o, dermat/oSkin.
- dermal punctureCapillary collection: a lancet pierces the fingertip, or an infant's heel, to obtain a few drops of blood for…
- dermisThe skin layer under the epidermis that contains capillaries and nerves; a dermal (skin) puncture reaches it to…
- dextro-Right or right side.
- dia-Through, across, or apart.
- diabetes mellitusLong-term condition in which glucose stays too high because the body makes little insulin, responds poorly to it, or…
- diaphoresisHeavy sweating. With pallor, nausea or dizziness during a draw, it can warn of a vasovagal reaction and fainting.
- diastolic pressureThe second, lower blood pressure reading: arterial pressure between beats, while the ventricles rest and fill.
- dilute specimenUrine whose creatinine and specific gravity both fall below the values normally expected for human urine.
- diplo-Double or twofold.
- dis-Apart, separation, or reversal.
- discard tubePlain tube drawn first when a winged set is used and sodium citrate is the first tube, so tubing air does not leave…
- discard volumeBlood first withdrawn from a vascular access line and set aside, so flush solution does not dilute or contaminate the…
- disinfectionKilling most pathogens on objects and surfaces, such as the drawing chair. Disinfectants are for surfaces; antiseptics…
- diurnal variationNormal rise and fall of some substances over the day; cortisol, for example, is highest in the morning and much lower…
- DKADiabetic ketoacidosis: a high-blood-sugar emergency. Fruity breath, deep fast breathing, vomiting or drowsiness in a…
- DMDiabetes mellitus. A patient who takes diabetes medicine and is fasting for a draw can develop low blood sugar; watch…
- DNRDo not resuscitate: an order that CPR will not be attempted if cardiac arrest occurs. It does not mean "do not treat"…
- doffingTaking off PPE: gloves, then eye protection, gown, and mask or respirator last, followed by hand hygiene.
- donningPutting on PPE: hand hygiene, gown, mask or respirator, eye protection, then gloves over the gown cuffs.
- donorA person who gives blood or blood components. FDA requires health screening and checks of temperature, pulse, blood…
- donor eligibilityThe determination, made before each collection, that a person is qualified to donate blood or blood components; an…
- dorsal hand veinsVeins on the back of the hand, the next site to assess when the antecubital veins cannot be used.
- droplet precautionsA mask put on when entering the room of a patient with a droplet-spread infection such as influenza or pertussis; no…
- droplet transmissionSpread by larger respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or talking that fall within a short distance, as with…
- drug screenA test of urine or another specimen for drugs or their breakdown products. Workplace collections follow strict…
- dys-Difficult, painful, or abnormal.
- dyspneaDifficult or labored breathing (shortness of breath). A patient who becomes short of breath during collection needs…