Glossary: Julius by Juzo

Glossary

There are quite a few technical terms, some of which can be difficult to understand.
Find out what they mean in this glossary from A to Z.

A

A	Acute	An illness with a quick onset
	Acute stress reaction	Collective term for non-typical reactions triggered by a past or current event.
	Adhesion	Adherence
	Albumin	Major protein in blood plasma
	Allograft	Transplantation from one individual to another of the same species
	Amnion	Egg membrane, innermost layer of the placenta surrounding the embryo
	Analgesic	Painkiller
	Anaesthesia	Insensitivity to pain induced by a physician
	Arthrodesis	Surgical artificial stiffening of a joint
	Artificial coma	A medically induced loss of consciousness. In this condition the patient can no longer be woken by strong external stimuli such as repeated pain stimuli
	Atrophic scar	This is what a sunken scar resulting from poor wound healing is called. It results from an inadequate production of connective tissue fibres.
	Atrophy	Wasting away of tissue as a result of a decrease in cell size and cell count
	Autologous transplant	A transplant using the body's own cells, i.e. the donor and recipient are the same person

B

B	Barbiturate	Sedative, but also an anaesthetic
	Basal layer	Layer of the epidermis where new cells are continuously produced
	Biopsy	Collection of a tissue sample
	Bobath	Special neurological treatment method used in physiotherapy
	Brachial plexus	Nerve supply of the arm and the shoulder muscles originating from the cervical vertebrae (C5-T1)
	Burn	Injury by fire
	Burn severity	Depth of the burn

C

C	Camouflage	Special makeup technique for covering skin irregularities such as scars
	Capillary	Extremely small blood vessels
	Capsular contracture	Contraction of a joint capsule, which leads to a restriction in movement
	Case history	Establishing the patient’s prior medical history
	Cervical	Neck area
	Chronic	Persistent, ongoing, long-lasting, opposite of acute
	Circular burn	Burn that extends around the body
	Clinical	Medical treatment
	Collagen	Protein that forms the elastic fibres in connective tissue
	Compliance	Establishment of a relationship (with positive or negative course)
	Compression garment	Pressure bandages in the form of a shirt, stocking, glove, etc.
	Contamination	Infection, soiling
	Contracture	Permanent shortening of muscles, tendons, or joint ligaments leading to stiffening
	Contraindication	Situation where a drug, procedure or surgery may be harmful
	Corium	Dermis
	Correlate	Be closely connected
	Cryotherapy	Treatment with cold
	Cutis	Combined term for the epidermis and dermis
	Cutis	Epidermis + dermis

D

D	Debridement	Cleaning of a wound
	Defect	Abnormal function
	Dermabrasion	Action of scraping off skin
	Dermatogenic	Originating from the skin
	Dermatome	Surgical instrument for collecting skin grafts
	Dermis	Layer of skin between the epidermis and subcutaneous tissues
	Dermojet	Treatment of scars using cortisone
	Desensitize	Stepwise exposure of a patient to their feared stimuli or memories, e.g. to alleviate anxiety symptoms
	Dissociative amnesia	Temporary total or partial loss of memory of a traumatic event
	Diuresis	Urination
	Doppler	sonography A special application of ultrasound
	Dysphoria	Dissatisfaction with life

E

E	Emotional lability	Rapid mood changes
	Enteral	Pertaining to the small intestine
	Entity	Fixed constant, entireness
	Enuresis	Bed wetting
	Epidermis	The outermost layer of the skin
	Epithelial tissue	Multilayer arrangement of cells covering the surface of the body
	Erythema	Redness of the skin
	Eschar	Wound scab
	Escharotomy	Surgical division of an eschar
	E-technique	Special neurological treatment technique
	Excise, excision	Cut out, remove, e.g. a scar
	Expander	Silicone pad that is placed under healthy skin and filled with fluid over an extended period of time via a valve located under the skin. This overstretches the healthy skin. The skin harvested is used as scar tissue.
	Exposed	Visible, noticeable
	Extension	Stretching, elongation
	Extracorporeal	Outside the body
	Extremity	Limb of the body
	Extubation	Removal of a breathing tube
	Exudate	Fluid and cells that have seeped out of tissue, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels as a result of inflammation

F

F	Fascia	Muscle cover
	Fasciocutaneous	Skin and fascia combined
	Fibrin	Activates the “adhesive” of blood clotting thereby enabling the wound to close
	Fibrin adhesive	2-part adhesive, e.g. for securing skin grafts
	Flap plasty	Flap of tissue with all its vessels that is used to replace scar tissue
	Flashback	Sudden recollection of a traumatic situation
	Flexion	Bending
	Fluctuating	Changeable

G

G	Globules	Medication in a spherical form
	Granulation	Formation of grains
	Granulation tissue	Granular connective tissue formed on the wound during the healing process (hypergranulation = excessive granulation)

H

H	Haematoma	Bruising, “black and blue” mark, discoloration that disappears in a few days
	Hyperemia	Excess blood in a tissue
	Hyperplasia	Enlargement of tissue or an organ caused by an increase in cell volume (opposite of atrophy)
	Hypertrophic	Raised, enlarged, still active
	Hypertrophic scar formation	Excessive, proliferative scar formation
	Hypertrophic scars	Enlarged, raised, still active scars
	Hypodermis	Another term for the subcutaneous fatty tissue
	Hypothermia	Overcooling
	Hypoxia	Reduction of oxygen content in body tissues

I

I	Immune system	Biological defense system of the body
	Individuation	Conscious, individual personality
	Infection	Inflammation
	Inflammability	Combustibility
	Infusion, infuse	Introduction of a liquid into the body using a hollow needle
	Inhalation trauma	Damage to the lungs due to breathing in harmful substances
	Instillation	Dropwise introduction of liquids into an organism
	Insufficient	Not enough
	Interaction level	Environmental level
	Interstitial space	Space between the individual layers of tissue in the body
	Intervention	Procedure
	Intestinal	Pertaining to the intestinal tract
	Intraoperative	During an operation
	Intravenous	Into the vein
	Intrusion	Unwanted flashback of a traumatic event, which is often associated with anxiety and panic
	Intubation	Insertion of a special tube into the respiratory tract

K

K	Keloid	Raised, no longer active scar tissue resulting from an abnormal healing process
	Keratinocytes	Basal cells of the epidermis

L

L	Langerhans cells	Cells of the immune system that are located in the epidermis
	Lesion	Damage, injury
	Localization	Location, site
	Lower lid ectropion	Drooping and sometimes everted lower eyelid

M

M	Manual therapy	Joint and soft tissue technique used in physiotherapy
	Mature scars	Scars that no longer change under the application of pressure, are light in color and level with the skin
	MCP joint	Metacarpophalangeal joint
	Mediators	Hormone-like signal substances
	Meek technique	Perforated sheet grafts
	Mentosternal	Area between the chin and sternum
	Mesh graft	Skin graft in the form of a mesh
	Meshing	Increasing the size of a skin graft using a grid pattern
	Metabolism	Chemical transformations within cells
	Microanastomosis	Surgical connection of very small blood vessels
	Mobility	Ability to move
	Monitoring	Observing body functions using monitoring devices
	Mucosa	Membrane lining various cavities in the body
	Myocutaneous	Muscle and outer skin together

N

N	Narcosis	Anaesthesia, artificially induced sleep-like state with loss of consciousness to produce insensibility to pain
	Narcotization	To anaesthetize (see Narcosis)
	Necrosectomy	Removal of dead tissue
	Necrosis	Burnt, dead tissue

O

O	Occupational therapy	Therapy to relearn and build back lost physical, social or psychological functions. It provides targeted training to help patients master everyday activities such as washing, dressing, cooking, etc.
	Oedema	Swelling caused by the accumulation of fluid in the tissue
	Organism	System of organs of the human body
	Orthotist	Orthopedic technicians who manufacture medical aids, also compression garments

P

P	Pad (pelotte)	A “pelotte” is a ball-shaped, usually half-spherical pad generally used in medical applications for compression, or to press together or separate tissue.
	Paediatric surgery	Medical field specializing in the operative treatment of childhood illnesses
	Parenteral	Bypassing the alimentary tract, e.g. parenteral administration of a medication via a vein
	Permeability disorder	Loss of permeability of cell membranes
	Phobia	Pathological anxiety
	Physiotherapy	Movement therapy to maintain or restore physical function
	Physiotherapy	Treatment by physical methods
	Plastic surgery	Plastic surgery (Greek: plastikos - mold, give form) is any type of surgery that involves changes to organs or the surfaces of the body for functional or aesthetic/cosmetic reasons.
	Platysma	Broad sheet of muscle in the throat
	Plexus	Network of nerves
	Pneumonia	Inflammation of the lung
	PNF	Percutaneous needle fasciotomy - a special neurological treatment technique
	Postoperative	After the operation
	Posttraumatic	The prefix “post” means after, here: after trauma
	Posttraumatic symptoms	Psychological consequences of a traumatic experience that develop at a later time
	Prevention	Avoid or protect against something happening
	Primary excision	Cutting out of small scars for immediate, direct wound closure
	Prognosis	Expected course of the illness
	Progredient	Progressive
	Project	To carry over
	Proliferation	Rapid growth
	Prolong	To extend the duration of
	Pruritus	Itchiness
	Psyche	The sum total of all conscious and subconscious processes and mental functions
	Psychic	Relating to the psyche
	Psychologist	A psychologist practices psychology, which is defined as the scientific study of the experiences and behavior of humans
	Psychosis	So-called mental disorder
	Psychosomatic	Connection or interaction between the body and mind
	Psychosomatic	Interaction of body and mind

R

R	Radialis flap	Skin flap taken from an area of the forearm
	Recell	Skin that is sprayed on rather than applied
	Reconvalescent	Recovering from an illness, restoration
	Recurrence	Relapse
	Recurrent	Arising again
	Regression	Retreat to an earlier stage of development
	Rehabilitation	Follow-up treatment and best possible restoration of health
	Relax	Release tension
	Relevant	Important, significant
	Respirator	Breathing apparatus
	Respiratory therapy	Passive and active breathing exercises as a supportive measure after surgery, e.g. blowing bubbles in a glass of water using a straw
	Retinaculum	Reinforced strands of connective tissue
	Retraumatization	Repeat traumatization that may be brought about, amongst other things, by the treatment measures using in the intensive care phase (repeated loss of control)
	Retrograde amnesia	Inability to recall the events for a certain period of time preceding loss of consciousness
	Reversible	Able to be changed back, restored
	Rule of nines	Rule for calculating the burn surface area involving dividing the body into 9 percent compartments

S

S	Scald	Injury caused by hot liquids
	Scar	A scar constitutes the healed state of a skin injury. The connective tissue of the scar will, at first, be red, fairly inelastic and not very functional. As the scar matures it is possible for shrinking and hardening to occur.
	Scar contracture release	Scar removal by making zigzag incisions so the wound can be closed without tension
	Scar hypertrophy	An excessive production of collagen fibres leads to the irregular formation of connective tissue extending beyond the original wound area.
	Scar massage	Careful massaging with the aim of shrinking the scar tissue
	Sedation	Calming down by means of medications
	Sedative	Calming medication
	Sepsis	Decay, blood poisoning
	Sheet	Special material for covering over
	Silicone	Plastic
	Silicone implant	Plastic pouch filled with gel
	Silicone patch	Plastic patch for reducing hypertrophic scars
	Skin bank	Repository of skin cells for future use
	Skin defect	Missing skin tissue
	Skin grafting	Transfer of a full-thickness or split-thickness skin graft from one body region to another to cover exposed areas
	Split-thickness skin graft	Very thin layer of epidermis taken from an uninjured area of the body
	Spontaneous remission	Spontaneous healing
	Stasis	Zone of circulatory stagnation
	Stigma	Label, negative characteristic
	Subcutis	Another term for the subcutaneous fascia
	Substitution	Replace, fill up
	Surgery	A specialist medical field involving the diagnosis and then treatment of illnesses and injuries by operative means
	Swab	Collection of skin cells using a cotton swab to test for a bacterial infection or cell changes.
	Symptoms	Signs of illness, these signs being characteristic of a particular illness
	Systemic	Affecting the entire organism

T

T	Take rate	Number of healed grafts
	Tangential excision	Removal of burnt skin in thin layers
	TBSA	Abbreviation for total body surface area
	Temperature sensors	Cell unit for the perception of hot and cold
	Therapist	One who provides treatment
	Therapy	Treatment
	Thermal	The Greek prefix “therm” stands for “warm”
	Thrombosed vessels	Vessels blocked by blood clots
	Thrombosis	Blood clot that is blocking a vein thereby interrupting the blood flow
	Trachea	Windpipe
	Transplantation	Moving of tissue or organs to replace missing body tissue or organs
	Trauma	Violent forces from outside, psychological shock
	Trigger	Event that initiates something

V

V	Vascularization	Supply with blood vessels
	Vojta	Special neurological treatment method used in physiotherapy

X

X	Xenograft	Graft obtained from an animal

Z

Z	Z-plasty	Breaking up of a scar by making Z-shaped incisions and then displacing and suturing the flaps in a tension free manner.