- acute kidney injury (AKI)
- sudden reduction in kidney function, usually related to another underlying condition or cause
- acute respiratory failure (ARF)
- sudden failure of the lungs and respiratory system, resulting in hypoxemia and hypercapnia
- arterial catheter
- small, flexible catheter that is inserted into an artery and connected to monitoring equipment to reflect continuous blood pressure measurements
- brain death
- cessation of brain function due to irreversible brain damage that makes it impossible for the patient to remain alive without life-sustaining therapy
- cardiac output
- amount of blood that the heart ejects from the left ventricle each minute
- contractility
- strength of the cardiac muscles during a contraction
- esophageal varices
- small veins that form as collateral circulation in the presence of portal hypertension
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- use of invasive equipment to serve as an artificial heart and lungs, allowing these organs to rest and heal
- hematemesis
- blood in the vomit
- hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI)
- pressure ulcers that are acquired during an inpatient hospital stay, most often related to pressure from medical devices or prolonged immobility
- intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP)
- balloon pump inserted in the aorta that inflates during diastole to push blood into the coronary arteries and deflates during systole to push blood to the rest of the body.
- intubation
- insertion of an artificial breathing tube into the airway to maintain patency and restore an effective breathing pattern, often with use of a mechanical ventilator
- melena
- presence of partially digested blood in the stool
- multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)
- syndrome often experienced by critical care patients that involves dysfunction of two or more body systems
- muscle atrophy
- severe loss of muscle mass, most often due to prolonged immobilization or malnutrition
- myocardial infarction (MI)
- occlusion of perfusion to the heart within the coronary arteries, resulting in eventual cardiac muscle death; also known as a “heart attack”
- necrosis
- tissue death
- nephrotoxic
- capable of causing renal damage
- pulse pressure
- difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressures
- vasoactive medication
- medication that exerts its effect on blood vessels
- vasopressors
- medications that improve blood pressure and organ perfusion by constricting blood vessels