Phlebotomy Tech Prep: CPT Coming soon

Medical terms starting with S

44 entries

  • -sclerosisHardening.
  • -scopeInstrument used to examine.
  • -scopyVisual examination with a scope.
  • -spasmSudden involuntary muscle contraction.
  • -stasisStopping or controlling; standing still.
  • -stenosisNarrowing.
  • SBARSituation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation: a structured way to report a patient problem to a nurse or provider.
  • scler/oHard; also the sclera (white of the eye).
  • sclerosed veinA hardened, cordlike vein, often from damage or clotting; it does not spring back when pressed and is not used for…
  • scope of practiceThe tasks a worker is trained and allowed to do. Phlebotomists collect and handle specimens; they do not interpret…
  • SDSSafety data sheet: the 16-section document kept for each hazardous chemical; section 8 lists the protective equipment…
  • seizureA burst of abnormal brain activity causing jerking, stiffening or lost awareness. Stop the draw, protect from injury…
  • semi-Half or partly.
  • sepsisA life-threatening reaction to infection that can damage organs. Blood cultures are drawn to find the germ in the…
  • serumThe liquid left after blood clots and is centrifuged; it lacks the clotting factors used up in the clot. Collected in…
  • serum separator tubeGold or red-gray (tiger) top. Its clot activator speeds clotting; when the tube is spun, its gel moves to sit between…
  • SESIPSharp with engineered sharps injury protection: OSHA term for a needle or other sharp with a built-in feature that…
  • sharpsItems that can pierce or cut skin: needles, lancets, broken glass. Discard used ones immediately in a sharps container.
  • sharps containerClosable, puncture-resistant, leakproof container with a biohazard label for used sharps, kept upright within reach…
  • sharps injury logConfidential OSHA log of each contaminated sharps injury: device type and brand, where it happened and how, without…
  • shockDangerously low blood flow to the organs. Call for help; if no injury prevents it, lay the person flat with legs…
  • sinistro-Left or left side.
  • small-volume tubeStandard-size tube with a weaker vacuum that draws less blood; used for children and fragile veins to reduce vein…
  • sodium citrateAnticoagulant that binds calcium, used in light blue-top tubes for coagulation tests. Fill to the line to keep the 1:9…
  • sodium polyanethol sulfonateSPS: the anticoagulant listed for blood culture tubes, which are first in the venous order of draw.
  • specific gravityHow concentrated urine is compared with water. In drug testing, low specific gravity with low creatinine marks a…
  • specimen rejectionA lab's refusal to test a specimen that fails its written acceptance criteria, for example unlabeled, hemolyzed…
  • sphygmomanometerA blood pressure cuff with a gauge. It can serve as a tourniquet when inflated to just below the patient's diastolic…
  • split specimenOne urine void divided into two sealed bottles: the primary (Bottle A, at least 30 mL) for testing and the split…
  • sputumThick mucus coughed up from deep in the lungs, not saliva. The patient rinses with water, then coughs it into a…
  • standard precautionsInfection control used for every patient: treat blood and all body fluids except sweat as infectious, with hand…
  • STATPriority meaning "now" (Latin statim). Collect and send a STAT specimen without delay, ahead of routine work; a timed…
  • strokeBrain injury from a blocked or bleeding brain vessel. Sudden face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech means…
  • sub-Under or below.
  • substituted specimenA drug-test specimen whose creatinine and specific gravity are so far off that it is not consistent with human urine.
  • super-Above, over, or excessive.
  • supra-Above or over.
  • surgical asepsisSterile technique that keeps items completely free of microorganisms. In phlebotomy: never touch the needle shaft…
  • susceptible hostA person who can become infected, such as a patient with weak immunity or a worker who is not immune.
  • syn-, sym-Together or joined.
  • syncopeFainting: brief loss of consciousness when too little blood reaches the brain. If it starts during a draw, stop…
  • syringeBarrel and plunger used with a needle or winged set, often for small or fragile veins; a 1 to 5 mL syringe avoids…
  • systemic circulationBlood flow from the left ventricle through the arteries to the body's tissues and back through the veins to the right…
  • systolic pressureThe upper blood pressure number: the peak pressure in the arteries while the ventricles contract.