Welcome to the Glossary Page! This page will attempt to explain the more technical content of our web site. For more detailed information go to the "Further Information" page for more in-depth links will take you to a webpage that is devoted to explaining the subject that you clicked on.
Thanks to Dictionary.Com for providing many of the definitions on this glossary
anesthetic/ anesthetized/ anesthetize/ anesthesia - An anesthetic is an agent that causes loss of sensation with or without the loss of conscious.
antibiotic -An antibiotic is a substance, such as penicillin or streptomycin, produced by or derived from certain fungi, bacteria, and other organisms, that can destroy or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms. Antibiotics are widely used in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
debridement/ debriding - Debridement is the surgical excision of dead, devitalized, or contaminated tissue and removal of foreign matter from a wound or a burn.
dehydration - Dehydration is the excessive loss of water from the body or from an organ or body part, as from illness or fluid deprivation
dermis - The dermis is the sensitive connective tissue layer of the skin located below the epidermis, containing nerve endings, sweat and sebaceous glands, and blood and lymph vessels. This layer is also sometimes (but not in this web page) called the “corium, cutis, or derma”.
donor - In medicine, this term means “an individual from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for transfusion, implantation, or transplant.”
dressings/ dressing - Dressings are therapeutic or protective materials applied to a wound or burn.
electrolytes - Electrolytes are any of various ions, such as sodium, potassium, or chloride, required by cells to regulate the electric charge and flow of water molecules across the cell membrane.
epidermis - The epidermis is the outer, protective, nonvascular layer of the skin of vertebrates, covering the dermis
follicles/ follicle - A follicle is a crypt or minute cul-de-sac or lacuna, such as the depression in the skin from which the hair emerges
graft/grafting - To graft is to transplant or implant (living tissue, for example) surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.
hyperbaric chamber - A hyperbaric chamber is a compartment capable of high-pressure oxygenation. This compartment is often used to treat decompression sickness and anaerobic infections
ion - An ion is an atom or group of atoms that has an electric charge. Ions with a positive charge are called cations. Ions with a negative charge are called anions. Ions can be created using radiation such as x-rays. Ionizing radiation is often used for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, since the ions that are produced can be used to scan for or treat some diseases.
intravenous (IV) - Intravenous means “within or administered into a vein”
metabolize/metabolism - The chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. During metabolism, some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are synthesized.
nerve endings/ nerve ending/nerve end - Nerve endings are the structure in which the distal end of the axon of a nerve fiber terminates.
O2/ Oxygen - Oxygen is a nonmetallic element constituting 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume that occurs as a diatomic gas, O2, and in many compounds such as water and iron ore. It combines with most elements, is essential for plant and animal respiration, and is required for nearly all combustion. Atomic number 8; atomic weight 15.9994; melting point -218.4°C; boiling point -183.0°C; gas density at 0°C 1.429 grams per liter; valence 2. Oxygen also aids in healing of burns. For more information about the healing powers of oxygen, see “other sources” or read the “burns and scars” section.
saline infusions – Saline means “salty, of the nature of a salt, containing a salt or salts”. A saline infusion is the administration of a saline solution into the body.
silicone - Silicone is any of a group of semi-inorganic polymers based on the structural unit R2SiO, where R is an organic group, characterized by wide-range thermal stability, high lubricity, extreme water repellence, and physiological inertness and used in adhesives, lubricants, protective coatings, paints, electrical insulation, synthetic rubber, and prosthetic replacements for body parts.
silver sulfadiazine - Silver sulfadiazine is a sulfa drug, is used to prevent and treat infections of second- and third-degree burns. It kills a wide variety of bacteria.
stereolithography – Stereolithography is a three-dimensional printing process that makes a solid object from a computer image by using a computer-controlled laser to draw the shape of the object onto the surface of liquid plastic.
systemic - Systemic means “relating to or affecting the entire body or an entire organism.”
tissue - Tissue is an aggregation of morphologically similar cells and associated intercellular matter acting together to perform one or more specific functions in the body. There are four basic types of tissue: muscle, nerve, epidermal, and connective.
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