Question | Answer |
acidosis | a blood pH below 7.35; a metabolic condition due to excessive loss of bicarbonate or sodium |
alkalosis | a blood pH above 7.45; a metabolic condition due to excessive loss of potassium or chloride |
antidote | a drug that counters the harmful effects of a poison |
antivenin | a material used in treatment of poisoning by animal venom |
botulin toxin | a neurotoxin that blocks the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, resulting in muscular paralysis |
chelating agent | a drug that bonds to a metal ion to prevent it from reacting with biological compounds |
Code Blue | a system to communicate that a patient is in a life-threatening situation |
coenzyme | a chemical other than a protein that is needed to assist an enzyme in performing a metabolic function |
cracking | separation of lipid from a parenteral nutrition solution |
electrolyte | a substance that dissociates into ions in solution and is thus capable of conducting electricity |
enteral | by way of, or pertaining to, the intestine |
enteral nutrition | feeding a patient liquid food through a tube that leads to the gastrointestinal system |
fat-soluble vitamins | vitamins that are absorbed along with dietary fat and are maintained in large stores by the body; vitamins A, D, E, and K |
gastric lavage | a procedure to wash out or irrigate the patient's stomach, commonly known as a stomach pump |
herbs | plants or plant parts extracted and valued for their savory, aromatic, or medicinal qualities |
hypertonic solution | a solution with a higher concentration of particles than body fluids contain |
hypotonic solution | a solution with a lower concentration of particles than body fluids contain |
isotonic solution | a solution with the same level of particles, and thus the same tonicity, as body fluids |
malnutrition | any disorder of nutrition |
medical food | a preparation taken orally consisting of nutrients specifically required to treat some disease or condition |
osteomalacia | demineralization and weakening of the skeleton, caused by a deficiency of vitamin D in adults |
parenteral nutrition | feeding a patient by supplying a nutrient solution through a vein |
phytonadione | vitamin K1 |
pooling | a time-saving process used when preparing a three-in-one TPN, in which all electrolytes except phosphate are put into a small-volume parenteral bag and then transferred into each batch |
probiotic | a product to restore or promote the growth of normal bacterial flora in the body |
propagate | reproduce |
ricin | a toxin derived from the castor bean that acts by disabling the molecular machinery for protein synthesis |
supportive therapy | therapy for poisoning that consists of establishing the airway and providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); maintaining body temperature, nutritional status, and fluid and electrolyte balance; and preventing circulatory collapse, hypoglycemia, uremi |
three-in-one | see total nutrient admixture |
tocopherol | one of the alcohols that constitute vitamin E |
tonicity | the relationship of a solution to the body's own fluids; measured by determining the number of dissolved particles in solution |
total nutrient admixture (TNA) | an amino acid-dextrose-lipid formulation used for parenteral nutrition; often called three-in-one |
total parenteral nutrition (TPN) | feeding a patient through the veins only |
two-in-one | a formulation for parenteral nutrition that contains only amino acids and dextrose |
vitamin | an organic substance that is necessary for the normal metabolic functioning of the body but that the body does not synthesize, so it must be obtained from food |
water-soluble vitamins | vitamins that are excreted in the urine and are not stored in the body; vitamin C and the B vitamins |