Medical terms starting with H
33 entries
- HAIHealthcare-associated infection: an infection a patient picks up while receiving care, for example from unclean hands…
- half-lifeThe time for a drug's blood level to fall by half; it is one reason peak and trough levels must be drawn at the…
- hand hygieneCleaning hands with alcohol-based rub or soap and water. Wash with soap and water when hands are visibly soiled, and…
- HBVHepatitis B virus: spread by blood and body fluids and attacks the liver. OSHA has employers offer at-risk workers the…
- hCGHuman chorionic gonadotropin, the hormone that rises in pregnancy and is detected by urine or serum pregnancy tests…
- HCTHematocrit: the share of whole blood occupied by packed red cells, given as a percentage. ISMP also flags HCT as…
- HCVHepatitis C virus: a bloodborne virus that infects the liver; named with HIV and HBV in the Needlestick Safety and…
- HDLHigh-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol, reported in a lipid (cholesterol) panel.
- heel stickCapillary puncture on the medial or lateral plantar surface of an infant's heel, used from birth to about 6 months…
- hem/o, hemat/oBlood.
- hematocritThe share of whole blood volume made up of red cells. Donors must meet FDA minimum hemoglobin or hematocrit values.
- hematomaSwelling from blood leaking into tissue at the puncture, for example when the needle goes through the vein or the arm…
- hemi-Half or one side.
- hemoconcentrationRise in cell and protein concentration when plasma water leaves the vein, as with a tourniquet left on too long…
- hemoglobinIron-based protein packed inside red cells; it picks up oxygen in the lungs, releases it to tissues and makes blood…
- hemolysisRupture of red cells that releases hemoglobin and potassium into serum or plasma, tinting it pink to red and falsely…
- hemostasisThe body's process for stopping bleeding: the vessel narrows, platelets form a plug, then coagulation builds a fibrin…
- heparinAnticoagulant that blocks thrombin. Green-top tubes hold lithium or sodium heparin for plasma chemistry; it is also…
- hetero-Other or different.
- Hgb, HbHemoglobin: the protein in red cells that binds oxygen, or the lab value measuring it. Blood donors have it checked…
- HIL indicesHemolysis, icterus and lipemia indices: analyzer measurements of sample quality that flag results that may be…
- HIPAAHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996: its Privacy and Security Rules govern how patient…
- HIVHuman immunodeficiency virus: the bloodborne virus that causes AIDS; one of the three viruses named in the Needlestick…
- homeo-Similar, same, or unchanging.
- homo-Same or alike.
- hormoneA chemical messenger carried in the blood. Some hormones, such as cortisol, rise and fall over the day, so timed draws…
- hydr/oWater or fluid.
- hyper-Above normal, excessive, or beyond.
- hyperglycemiaHigh blood glucose: thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination, blurry vision and tiredness. Report it and follow facility…
- hypertensionBlood pressure that stays above the normal range over time; also called high blood pressure.
- hypo-Below normal, under, or deficient.
- hypoglycemiaLow blood glucose: shaking, sweating, hunger, a pounding heart or confusion. For an alert patient, offer quick sugar…
- hypotensionLow blood pressure. It can make a patient dizzy or faint, so watch closely during and after the draw.