Term | Definition |
abrasion | a wound in which the outer layer of the skin are damaged; scrape |
abscess | a collection of pus in a cavity surrounded by inflamed tissue |
Absorbable suture | suture material that is gradually digested by tissue enzymes and absorbed into the body |
approximation | the process of bringing two parts , such as tissue, together through the use of sutures or other means |
bandage | a strip of woven material used to wrap of cover a part of the body |
biopsy | the surgical removal and examination of tissue from the living body. Biopsies are generally performed to determine whether a tumor is benign or malignant |
capillary action | the action that causes liquid to to rise along a wick, a tube, or a gauze dressing |
colposcope | a lighted instrument with a binocular magnifying lens used to examine the vagina or cervix |
colposcopy | the visual examination of the vagina and cervix using a colposcope |
contamination | as it related to sterile technique, to cause a sterile object or surface to become unsterilized |
contusion | an injury to the tissue under the skin that causes blood vessels to rupture, allowing blood to seep into the tissues; a bruise |
cryosurgery | the therapeutic use of freezing temperatures to destroy abnormal tissue |
exudate | a discharge produced by the body's tissues |
fibroblast | an immature cell from where connective tissue can develop |
forceps | a two-pronged instrument for grasping and squeezing |
furuncle | a localized staphylococcal infection that originates deep within a hair follicle. Also known as boil |
hemostasis | the arrest of bleeding by natural or artificial means |
incision | a clean cut caused by a cutting instrument |
infection | the condition in which the body, or part of it, is invaded by a pathogen |
infiltration | the process by which a substance passes into and is deposited within the substance of a cell, tissue or organ |
inflammation | a protective response of the body to trauma and the entrance of foreign matter. The purpose of inflammation s to destroy invading mo's and to repair injured tissue |
laceration | a wound in which the tissues are torn apart, leaving ragged and irregular edges |
ligate | to tie off and close a structure such as a severed blood vessel |
local anesthetic | a drug that produces a loss of feeling and inability to perceive pain in only a specific part of the body |
mayo tray | a broad, flat metal tray placed on a stand and used to hold sterile instruments and supplies when it has been covered with a sterile towel |
needle biopsy | a type of biopsy in which tissue form deep within the body is obtained by the insertion of a biopsy needle through the skin |
nonabsorbable suture | suture material that is nor absorbed by the body and either remains permanently in the body tissue and becomes encapsulated by fibrous tissue or removed |
postoperative | after a surgical operation |
preoperative | preceding a surgical operation |
`puncture | a wound made by a sharp pointed object piercing the skin |
scalpel | a surgical knife used to divide tissues |
scissors | a cutting instrument |
sebaceous cyst | a thin, closed sac or capsule that contains fatty secretions from a sebaceous gland |
serum | the clear, straw-colored part of the blood that remains after the solid elements have been separated out of it |
sterile | free of all living mo's and bacterial spores |
surgical asepsis | practices that keep objects and areas sterile or free from microorganisms |
sutures | material used to approximate tissues with surgical stitches |
swaged needle | a needle with suturing material permanently attached to its end |
wound | a break in the continuity of an external or internal surface caused by physical means |
surgery | the branch of medicine that deals with the operative and manual procedures for correction of deformities and defects. |