peritoneal dialysis A procedure performed to “cleanse” the blood in patients with kidney failure, in which fluid is placed into the abdominal cavity and later drained out.
PFC Abbreviation for persistence of fetal circulation, a complex physiological abnormality encountered in newborns who have aspirated meconium.
pH Measure of acid in the blood. Determined routinely as part of a blood gas (see above).
phototherapy A treatment for jaundice of the newborn in which the infant is placed under ultraviolet light; through a mechanism that’s not clear, this therapy lowers the level of bilirubin in the blood.
physsies Internese for physical examinations of the newborn performed in the well-baby nursery.
PID Abbreviation for pelvic inflammatory disease, an infection of gynecological structures. Often caused by gonococcus (see above).
pneumococcal meningitis An infection of the spinal fluid caused by a very virulent and damaging form of bacterium.
pneumothorax Collapse of a lung; must be treated by placement of a chest tube that drains out the accumulated air.
PRN Abbreviation used in medication orders meaning “as needed.”
prolapsed cord Condition in which the umbilical cord passes out through the cervix before the baby. Dangerous because if the cervix narrows, blood flow to the fetus can be blocked, leading to hypoxia (see above) and brain damage.
pseudomonas A virulent bacterium.
P2C2 Abbreviation for Pediatric Primary Care Center, the clinic at Jonas Bronck Hospital.
pulmonary hypertension Increased blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, usually as a result of heart disease. Is a nonreversible condition that eventually will lead to death.
pyloric stenosis Narrowing of the lower part of the stomach, leading to inability to pass stomach contents into the intestine. Occurs most commonly in first-born male infants during the first two months of life.
q4h When written in a medication order, means “every four hours.”
QNS Abbreviation for quantity not sufficient.
rales A particular sound heard when listening to the lungs through a stethoscope and that implies the presence of pneumonia.
renal biopsy A technique in which a needle is passed through the back or side and into the kidney. Allows sampling of kidney tissue and therefore diagnosis of specific diseases affecting the kidney.
’roids Internese for steroids, an anti-inflammatory class of drugs.
scut A collective term for the routine work that an intern must do.
sed rate Short for erythrocyte sedimentation rate, a test used to determine if an inflammatory disease is occurring.
sepsis Bacterial infection in the blood.
SGA Abbreviation for small for gestational age. Used for babies who have not grown to adequate weight while in the womb.
sickle-cell anemia An inherited disorder in which an abnormality of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen, causes deformation of the red blood cells and serious consequences. (See painful crisis, above.)
sigmoidoscopy Examination of a portion of the colon using a device called an endoscope.
spina bifida Synonym for meningomyelocoele (see above).
status epilepticus Condition in which patient is having constant, uncontrolled convulsions.
straight cath Passage of a tube through the urethra into the bladder to obtain a sterile sample of urine.
strawberry hemangioma A purplish birthmark; these often disappear by the time the child is six years old.
subarachnoid hematoma A collection of blood between the arachnoid membrane and the brain.
subinternship A two-month rotation in the fourth year of medical school in which the student acts as an intern.
suprapubic tap Synonym for bladder tap (see above).
tachypnea Rapid breathing.
thrombocytopenia Deficiency of platelets, structures that aid in the clotting of blood. One of the features of pancytopenia (see above).
tight as a drum Phrase used to describe a patient with asthma who, because of the disease, is having difficulty breathing.
tolazoline A drug used in persistence of fetal circulation (PFC—see above).
tox screen Short for toxicology screen. A test done on a sample of blood, vomitus, or urine obtained from a patient in whom ingestion of a toxic substance is suspected.
TPN Abbreviation for total parenteral nutrition, in which all the nutritional requirements are supplied via an intravenous route.
transillumination Technique used to “light up” a particular structure. Used to diagnose pneumothorax (see above).
traumatic arrest Cessation of cardiac activity caused by a traumatic event, such as an automobile accident.
triage box The place in the emergency room where the charts of the patients waiting to be seen are piled. Patients are triaged according to how sick they are.
trisomy 18 A condition caused by an extra No. 18 chromosome; patients with this disorder are born with multiple anomalies and usually die before their first birthday.