A Sunset Of Beauty & Peace, A Life of Breathing & Strength
When you are given a "preliminary" diagnosis to describe a lung condition or you are taking a "Freedom From Smoking" class, you know how frustrating it can be searching for the words that you just do not understand the meaning of. This section is not intended as a comprehensive medical resource, but has been designed to help newly diagnosed patients learn about lung disease and smoking cessation terms.
Along with the glossary, acronyms & abbreviations have been added for additional information.
FreedomFromSmoking - Glossary Acupuncture - an ancient Oriental treatment that uses needles to lessen someone's desire to smoke, lessen pain or other things.
Addiction - when someone depends on a drug or chemical physically and/or mentally.
Anxiety - having "nerves" or feeling very nervous.
Coping Skills - ways to act that help you with difficult situations.
Craving or Urge - a feeling of wanting something very badly.
Environmental tobacco smoke - smoke from someone blowing out while smoking, or smoke from a lit cigarette. Hypnosis - treatment to help someone quit smoking; used by a psychologist or psychiatrist to put someone in a trance.
Nicotine gum - chewing gum that contains nicotine and lessens a person's craving to smoke. Nicotine inhaler - small plastic tube that contains nicotine and is used like a cigarette; it lessens a person's craving to smoke.
Nicotine nasal spray - a nose spray that contains nicotine and lessens a person's craving to smoke. Nicotine patch - a patch that contains nicotine and is placed on the skin everyday; it lessens a person's craving to smoke.
Nicotine replacement treatment - these treatments are used to help someone quit smoking. They provide nicotine to the body in a way other than smoking.
Quit Date - the date you choose to quit smoking. You make a plan for quitting on this day. Relapse - setback when someone has a puff of a cigarette or starts smoking again after quitting. Support system - people (family, friends) you are close to who will help you.
Telephone counseling - when a trained counselor talks to you by phone to help you quit smoking. Temptation - a situation that makes you want to do something you know you shouldn't do. Withdrawal - termination of a habit-forming substance. The physiological readjustment that takes place upon such discontinuation. Zyban - a medicine (pill) that can be prescribed by a doctor to lessen someone's desire to smoke.
LungDisease - Glossary Acute - Extremely serious or significant or sharp, as pain. Reaching a crisis rapidly - used of a disease.
Alveoli - tiny air sacs at the end of the bronchioles where oxygen crosses into the bloodstream, exchanging it for carbon dioxide crossing from the bloodstream into the alveoli to be exhaled. Air trapping - the air caught behind collapsed bronchial branches during expiration. Airway - a passageway for air into or out of the lungs. Airway Collapse - actual collapse or closure of branches of the bronchial tree, caused by weakened bronchial walls secondary to disease.
Alpha1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (A1AD) - an inherited recessive disorder resulting in low or no production of Alpha1 Antitrypsin. Lack of this protein leads to organ damage, mainly to the liver and lung. Alveolar Macrophage (AM) - a cell in the lungs which engulfsbacteria and foreign material and produces enzymes to protect the lung.
Antibiotic - medication that interferes with the growth of bacteriaand may stop an infection. Anti-inflammatory - a drug used to fight inflammation. Apnea - the absence of spontaneousrespiration.
Arterial Blood Gases (ABG) - a lab test of arterial blood (usually taken from the wrist) which measures carbon dioxide and oxygen levels as well as acid-base status.
Artery - one of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the heart to the organs and parts of the body; arteries usually carry oxygenated blood. Asthma - a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by airway narrowing, bronchospasm and wheezing; asthma is considered a reversible condition. Asthma is often called a reactive airway disease when it's expected to be a short duration. Asthmatic Bronchitis - coexistence of wheezing and chronic bronchitis. Atelectasis - incomplete expansion of the lung.
Bacteria - single-celled organisms which cause infections; they are usually treated with antibiotics. Barrel chest - the shape of the chest in some patients with COPD when air trapping causes overinflated lungs. Blebs - air-filled cysts near or on the surface of the lung. Blebs are less than 1cm in diameter. Compare to bullae. Blue Bloater - the COPD paitent whose symptoms include hypoxemia, secondary polycythemia, CO2 retention, pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale. Bronchi - branches of the bronchial tree. Bronchial tree - the ductwork of the respiratory system which branch like a tree, the terminal "branches" leading to the alveoli. Bronchiectasis - a chronic inflammatory or degenerative condition of bronchi or bronchioles marked by dilation and loss of elasticity of the walls. Bronchioles - the tiniest branches of the bronchial tree, they lead into the alveoli. Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BO) - an obstructive process involving small airways in the lung periphery. It may occur following a bout of pneumonia or lung transplantation. Bronchiolitis Obliterans Organizing Pneumonia (BOOP) - obstructive condition characterized by granulation tissue plugs within the small airways. This abnormal tissue extends into alveolar ducts and alveoli. Bronchitis - acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial airways or any part of them. Acute Bronchitis - inflammation of cells lining the bronchi causes production of yellow or gray mucus which clogs airways resulting in shortness of breath, wheezing and pain in upper chest, especially when coughing.
Chronic Bronchitis - to be considered chronic, there must be a productive cough on most days for at least three months of the year, for at least two consecutive years.
Bronchodilator - a drug that relaxes the smooth muscles in the constricted airway.
Bronchoscopy - a procedure where a lighted bronchoscope is inserted through the nose or throat to allow visual examination of the tracha, bronchi and select bronchioles. Bullae - large air spaces within the lung, >1-2 cm in diameter, formed by ruptured alveoli. compare to blebs. Bullous Disease - known as 1 bullous disease and primary bullous disease of the lung. (seeVanishingLung)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - a colorless, odorless, nonflammable gas produced in respiration, and given off by the tissues to the blood, to be exhaled by the lungs in exchange for oxygen. Cardiopulmonary (C/P) - pertaining to both heart and lungs. Chest X-Ray (CXR) - images of the chest cavity can be used to assess lung disease. Dense structures of the body, like bone, will appear white; air will be indicated by areas in black ('air' is a void which can't be photographed.) All other structures will appear as shades of gray. Chronic - a disease or disorder that shows little change in symptoms from day to day, but implies a continuing disease process with progressive deterioration. Chronic Lung Disease (CLD) - covering both obstructive conditions, characterized by a slow rate of forced expiration, and restrictive disease characterized by a reduction in total lung capacity. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - COPD is diagnosed when chronic bronchitis and emphysema present themselves as one disease, most often in smokers and former smokers. The definition of COPD recognized by both the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society is a disorder characterized by reduced maximal expiratory flow and slow forced emptying of the lungs; features that do not change markedly over several months. This airflow limitation is only minimally reversible with bronchodilators. Cilia - tiny hairlike cells that line the airways and beat constantly toward the pharynx to assist in removal of mucus and dust particles. Cor Pulmonale - enlargement of the right ventricle resulting from pulmonary hypertension secondary to lung disorders. Corticosteroid - used to reduce swelling and inflammation.
Cyanosis - dusky bluish or purplish tinge to the skin caused by insufficient blood oxygen. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) - a disease of the mucus and sweat glands which causes disorders of the lungs and pancreas.
Desaturation - decrease in oxygen saturation of hemoglobin.
Diaphragm - a dome shaped muscle above the abdomen and below the lungs. When it contracts negative pressure within the chest allowing air to be drawn into the lungs.
Diffusion - movement of oxygen or carbon dioxide across the membrane of the alveoli.
Dyspnea- difficult or labored breathing; air hunger.
Edema - an abnormal accumulation of fluid in connective tissue causing puffy swelling. Eastic recoil - ability of the lung to 'snap back' at the end of inspiration. Emphysema - a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by dilation and destruction of alveoli leading to large air spaces, decreased elastic recoil and air trapping. Emphysema is one of two conditions which present as a singular disease called COPD; the other is chronic bronchitis. Endotracheal Tube (ET) - a tube by which a patient is connected to a respirator, it's inserted through the patient's mouth or nose, passes through the throat and vocal cords, and into the air passages. The patient will be unable to speak while the tube is in place. End-stage Emphysema - "End-stage refers to the patient for whom the damage to their lungs has reached a stage where symptoms severey affect their quality of life and has begun to affect other organs, such as the heart. Drugs, progressive exercise programs, oxygen, lung reduction surgery, and ultimately lung transplants are considered in a step-wise fashion to maximize the oxygen delivery from what lung tissue remains." (definition provided by Donald R. McGee, MD) Eupnea - normal respiration; implies normal tidal volume, with respiratory rate (adults) about 14-18. Exacerbation - a period when a disease or medical condition becomes worse. Expiration - breathing out; exhaling.
Fibrosis - a condition marked by relative increase in formation of interstitial fibrous tissue in any common region of the body (scar tissue is fibrous). Forced Expiratory Flow (FEF) - a flow rate measurement of how much air can be expired from the lungs. Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) - the amount of air expelled the first second following maximal inspiration during the test for vital capacity. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) - forced vital capacity is the maximum volume of gas that can be expired forcefully after a maximum inspiration. Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) - lung volume at the end of normal expiration. At FRC, the tendency of the lungs to collapse is exactly balanced by the tendency of the chest and wall to expand.
Hypercapnia - an abnormally high carbon dioxide level in the blood. Hypertension - abnormally high blood pressure. Hyperventilate - to breathe abnormally fast and deep, resulting in excessive amounts of oxygen in the lungs and reduced carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Hypotension - abnormally low blood pressure. Hypoxemia - deficient oxygenation of the blood. ( Cyanosis is a late sign of hypoxemia) Hypoxia - deficiency of oxygen reaching tissues of the body.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) - interstitial lung disease of unknown origin. Also known as pulmonary fibrosis. Inhaler - the dispenser for metered-dose medications. Inspiration - breathing in. Inspiratory Capacity (IC) - the maximal volume that can be inspired after a normal (non forced) expiration. Inspiratory Muscle Trainer (IMT) - a small device used to exercise and strengthen respiratory muscle endurance. Inspiratory Reserve Volume (IRV) - additional volume that can be insoired with maximum effort afater a normal inspiration. Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) - a term which includes more than 130 lung disorders characterized by fibrosing (scarring) in the lungs. A common link between various types of ILD is they all begin with an inflammation of known or unknown origin. Also called Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Inflammation involving the bronchioles is called bronchiolitis
Inflammation involving the alveoli (air sacs) is called alveolitis
Inflammation involving the small blood vessels is called vasculitis.
When the cause of ILD is unknown, it's called "idiopathic" See pulmonary fibrosis for a partial list which refer to interstitial lung disease.
Lung - one of a pair of breathing organs located within the chest which remove carbon dioxide from and bring oxygen to the blood. Lung Transplant (TX or XP) - surgery to replace one or both diseased lungs with healthy ones from a human donor. Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (LVRS) - Reduction Pneumoplasty is performed on patients with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Varied surgical procedures allow the compressed lung to expand, thus establishing improved respiratory function. LVRS is also referred to as lung shaving, lung contouring, thoracoscoipc bullectomy or simply lung reduction. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) - a rare lung disease that affects only women; abnormal muscle cells invade the lung and airways, as well as blood and lymph vessels, causing them to become obstructed.
Metabolic Equivalent (MET) - the amount of oxygen required while sitting very quietly at rest. Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI) - device which dispenses a specific amount of medication in aerosol or powdered form. Mucus - slippery secretions that serve to moisten and protect the mucous membranes by special cells within the bronchial tree, usually as a result of irritation, inflammation or infection of the airways.
Nasal Cannula (NC) - a rubber or vinyl tube which extends around the user's face with curved prongs that fit into the nostrils for delivery of oxygen at low flow rates. Aslo reffered to as "nose hose" (slang). National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) - a multicenter randomized trial comparing maximal medical therapy versus maximal medical therapy with LVRS in patients with moderate to severe emphysema to determine eligibility of this surgical procedure for the purpose of resuming Medicare reimbursement (which was halted in 1996). Nebulizer - an atomizer device that sprays liquid medication in aerosol form into the air a patient breathes.
Open Lung Biopsy (OLB) - a small piece of lung tissue is obtained for examination by surgical incision of the chest wall (thoracotomy) performed under general anesthesia by a Thoracic Surgeon. Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome (ODTS) - a febrile illness occuring after heavy organic dust exposure; symptoms resemble those of acute farmer's lung. Oximeter - a noninvasive device for measuring continuously the estimated degree of oxygen saturation of the circulating blood. The oximeter 'clips' to a finger, toe, nose or ear lobe and is painless to use. Oximetry - noninvasive measurement of the estimated level of arterial oxygenation in circulating blood; report usually includes baseline functional O2 saturation and heart rate, as well as lowest functional O2 saturation and heart rate during monitored activity (ie exercise, oxygen therapy). Oxygen (O2) - colorless, odorless gas essential for all life processes; the most important component of air. Oxygen Conserver - device designed to maintain adequate oxygenation with a reduction in flow rate. Oxygen debt - cumulative deficiency of oxygen that developes in the body during periods of intense activity and must bemade good when the body activity returns to normal level. In patients with severe pulmonary insufficiency, climbing a step or two can be considered 'intense activity'. Oxygen therapy - use of supplemental oxygen to assure the body receives an amount sufficient to provide for its needs. ( SaO2 of 90 or greater)
Pack Years - a measure of cigarette smoking over someone's lifetime, figured as the number of packs per day times the number of years a person has smoked. Ten pack-years could refer to a smoking history of two packs a day for five years, one pack/day for 10 years, or half a pack a day for 20 years. One "pack year" means 7300 cigarettes, or 1460 cigars, or 7.3kg of pipe tobacco. Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) - the fastest speed a person can expel air from the lungs after talking in as big a breath as possible. Peak Flow Meter (PFM) - small device used to measure a person's peak expiratory flow rate. Perfusion - passage of blood through the lungs. Perfusion Scan - test to determine the status of blood flow to an organ. Phlegm - thick, gluey, stringy mucus secreted in the respiratory passages usually as a result of inflammation, iritation or infection of the airways, and discharged through the mouth. Pink Puffer - term describing the COPD or emphysematic patient whose symptoms are breathlessness, hyperinflation, mild hypoxemia and low PCO2. Compare with Blue Bloater. Pleura - either of a pair of two-walled sacs of serous membrane that covers and protect the lung. Pleural Cavity - the space between the two layers of pleura; the chest cavity. Pleural Space - the fluid-filled "space" between the two pleural walls (visceral and parietal pleura). Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - a lung disease caused by the inhalation of a very fine silicate or quartz dust and occurring especially in miners. This is the longest word in the English language.
Polycythemia - too many red blood cells. The condition exists when the hemoglobin, red blood cell (RBC) count, and total RBC volume are all above normal. Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) - a method of mechanical ventilation in which pressure is maintained to increase the volume of gas remaining in the lung at the end of expiration, thus keeping alveoli open and improving gas exchange. Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) - process of forcing gases down a patient's trachea using either a manual control technique or using an automatic ventilator. PPV can be done using a manual resuscitator or the rebreathing bag on the anesthesia machine; for long term use an automatic ventilator is usually prescribed. Post Nasal Discharge (PND) - the sensation of mucus accumulation in the throat or a feeling that mucus is dripping downward from the back of the nose into the throat. Productive Cough - a cough in which mucus or phlegm is dislodged, enabling a person to clear the lungs. Puffers - slang term for aerosol metered dose inhalers. Pulmonary - pertaining to the lungs. Pulmonary Artery (PA) - blood vessel that delivers oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. Pulmonary Edema (PE) - condition (usually acute, but sometimes chronic) that occurs when too much fluid accumulates in the lungs, blocking transport of oxygen into the blood. Pulmonary Embolism - the closure or narrowing of the pulmonary artery, or one of its branches, by an embolus. Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) - condition characterized by deposition of scar tissue in the lung. Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT) - set of tests to evaluate the mechanical properties of the lung by studying lung volumes and capacities. Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) - occurs when blood pressure in the pulmonary artery is too high, increased pressure within the lung causes the right ventricle of the heart to become enlarged and may result in shortness of breath, syncope (fainting), dizzy spells and heart failure. Pulmonary Insufficiency (PI) - chronic impairment of gas exchange due to clinically documented pulmonary disease. Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) - a personalized program which incorporates therapy, support and education in attempting to assist the patient achieve the maxium obtainable functional capacity allowed by his handicap. Pursed Lip Breathing (PLB) - technique used to slow breathing to maintain even lung pressure and control shortness of breath.
Quality of Life (QOL) - is defined as the 'physical, social and emotional aspects of a patient's well being that are relevant and importnat to the individual'.
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) - a self-assessment scale to rate breathlessness and fatigue during exercise. Residual Volume (RV) - amount of air left behind after a maximum expiratory effort; lowest voluntary volume obtainable. Respiration - Respiration has two meanings in physiology. Along with breathing, respiration includes all chemical processes that occur in the body converting oxygen and food to water, energy and carbon dioxide. Respiratory System - entire system of organs and tissues involved in breathing; these include the nose, throat, larynx trachea, bronchi and lungs.
SaO2 - percent saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen in the arterial blood. Shock Lung - clincal terminology for Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Spacer - device designed to hold an aerosol metered-dose inhaler (MDI) for optimum delivery of the drug into the lungs. Spirometer - an instrument for measuring volume of air entering and leaving the lungs. Spirometry - best test available in primary care for early detectin of many lung disorders, this procedure provides following key parameters.
Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)
Forced Expiratory Volume in 1st second following maximal inspiration (FEV1)
Forced Expiratory Ratio in 1st second (FEV1/FVC%)
Spontaneous Pneumothorax (SP) - an inherited condition characterized by weak areas in the pleural lining of the lung. Small air-filled blisters, called blebs, may form which occasinally rupture causing air to leak from the lung into the chest cavity. Also called Blebs Disease. Sputum - mucus, phlegm or other substances coughed up from the respiratory tract.
Tachypnea - increased rate of respiration. Tidal Volume (TV or VT) - volume of normal inspiration or expiratin during relaxed (normal) breathing. Total Lung Capacity (TLC) - volume of the lungs after a maximum voluntary inspiration. Transtracheal oxygen (TTO2) - delivery of oxygen by insertion of a thin catheter directly in to the trachea.
Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) - affecting any, or a combination, of the five parts comprising the upper respiratory tract: nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, trachea. Usual Interstitial Pneumonia (UIP) - a later stage of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), it is more patchy in appearance than DIP with marked interstitial infiltrate and thickening of alveolar walls.
Vanishing Lung Syndrome - a progressive disorder characterized by presence of large upper lobe bullae occupying at least one-third of the hemithorax, and compressing surrounding normal lung. Also called "type 1 bullous disease" and "primary bullous disease" of the lung. Ventilation - the movement of gas in and out of the lungs to facilitate blood oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal. Ventilation Perfusion (VQ) Scan - a test that compares right and left lung function (blood flow and gas exchange) through the use. Ventilators - machines used in operating rooms (OR) and intensive care units (ICU) for respiratory support of patients who cannot breathe on their own. There are five main parameters:
Tidal Volume (eg. 700 ml) [Volume of gas injected into trachea with each breath]
Respiratory Rate (eg. 12 breaths/minute)
FIO2 (Fraction of Inspired Oxygen) (eg. 0.6 or 60% oxygen)
PEEP (Positive End Expiratory Pressure) (eg. 5 cm H2O)
I:E ratio (eg. 1:3) Time for inspiration in relation to time for expiration
Vital Capacity (VC) - the maximum volume of air that can be exhaled following a complete lung inflation. The difference between Total Lung Capacity (TLC) and Residual Volume (RV).
Wheezing - the sound made by air moving through partially obstructed airways.