Term | Definition |
Alveoli | Tiny, grape like sacs in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs |
Asthma | A chronic and episodic inflammatory disease that makes it difficult to breathe and causes coughing and wheezing |
Bronchi | Branches of the passages of the respiratory system that lead from the trachea into the lungs |
Bronchiectasis | A condition in which the bronchi become permanently dilated (widened) and damaged |
Bronchitis | An irritation and inflammation of the lining of the bronchi |
Chest Percussion | Clapping the chest to help lungs drain with the force of gravity |
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | A chronic, progressive, and incurable lung disease that causes difficulty breathing |
Emphysema | A chronic, incurable lung disease in which the alveoli in lungs become filled with trapped air; usually results from smoking and chronic bronchitis |
Expiration | The process of exhaling air out of the lungs |
Hemoptysis | The coughing up of blood from the respiratory tract |
Inspiration | The process of breathing air into the lungs |
Lungs | Main organs of respiration responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide |
Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB) | Disease that occurs when the full course of medication is not taken for tuberculosis |
Oxygen Therapy | The administration of oxygen to increase the supply of oxygen to the lungs |
Pneumonia | Acute inflammation in the lungs tissue caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infection and/or chemical irritants |
Respiration | The process of inhaling air into the lungs and exhaling air out of the lungs |
Sputum | Mucus coughed up from the lungs |
Trachea | An air passage that goes from the throat (pharynx) to the bronchi; also called windpipe |
Tuberculosis (TB) | A contagious lung disease caused by a bacterium that is transmitted through the air; causes coughing, difficulty breathing, fever and fatigue |
RR | Respiratory rate |
Larynx | The hollow muscular organ forming an air passage to the lungs and holding the vocal cords in humans and other mammals; the voice box |
Pharynx | The membrane-lined cavity behind the nose and mouth, connecting them to the esophagus |
SOB | Shortness of breath |
Spec | Specimen |
Resp | Respiration |