| CAMP | Christie-Atkins-Munch-Petersen [test]; computer-assisted menu planning; concentration of adenosine m... |
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| CAMS | computer-assisted monitoring system |
| CAPE | Clifton assessment procedures for the elderly; computer-assisted patient emulator |
| CAPERS | Computer Assisted Psychiatric Evaluation and Review System |
| CART | computer-assisted radiotherapy |
| assisted reproductive technology | Originally, a range of techniques for manipulating eggs and sperm in order to overcome infertility. Encompasses drug treatments to stimulate ovulation; surgical methods for removing eggs (e.g., laparoscopy and ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration) and for reimplanting embryos (e.g., zygot intrafallopian transfer (or ZIFT); in vitro and in vivo fertilization (e.g., artificial insemination and gamete intrafallopian transfer (or GIFT); ex utero and in utero foetal surgery; as well as laboratory regimes for freezing and screening sperm and embryos, and micromanipulating and cloning embryos. The field's first major success came in 1978 with the birth of "test-tube baby" Louise Brown, engineered by Steptoe, Edwards, et al., of England. As the technologies spread, they increasingly are being employed for purposes beyond infertility, i.e., to reduce the risk of, or avoid passing on, hereditary disease and to select for infant sex. Further uses that would aim at improving the "quality" of offspring have been widely discussed and raise profound legal and ethical questions. See: eugenics. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| assisted respiration | Application of mechanically or manually generated positive pressure to gas(es) in or about the airway during inhalation as a means of augmenting movement of gases into the lungs. Synonym: assisted respiration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| assisted ventilation | Application of mechanically or manually generated positive pressure to gas(es) in or about the airway during inhalation as a means of augmenting movement of gases into the lungs. Synonym: assisted respiration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| video-assisted thoracic surgery | A less morbid alternative to "open" thoracotomy that employs cameras, optic systems, percutaneous stapling devices, and assorted endoscopic graspers, retractors, and forceps. Also called video thoracoscopic surgery, it can be selectively applied to various pulmonary, pleural, and pericardial lesions. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spectrometry, mass, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization | A mass spectrometric technique that is used for the analysis of large biomolecules. Analyte molecules are embedded in an excess matrix of small organic molecules that show a high resonant absorption at the laser wavelength used. The matrix absorbs the laser energy, thus inducing a soft disintegration of the sample-matrix mixture into free (gas phase) matrix and analyte molecules and molecular ions. In general, only molecular ions of the analyte molecules are produced, and almost no fragmentation occurs. This makes the method well suited for molecular weight determinations and mixture analysis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| suicide, assisted | Deliberate acceleration of death of a competent patient with an incurable disease or in the extremes of suffering. The patient seeking assistance in taking his own life may ask the help of a physician or other health professional, a family member, or a friend. The milieu may be a hospital, nursing home, or private residence. Assistance to the person in dire physical or psychological distress may take the form of lethal doses of medications or chemicals to be taken orally or by injection through human intervention or with a so-called suicide machine. (12 Dec 1998) |
| laparoscopically assisted surgery | Operative procedure performed using combined laparoscopic and open techniques; most commonly applied to colon or small intestinal resections with anastomosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| laser-assisted balloon angioplasty | <cardiology, procedure> Techniques using laser energy in combination with a balloon catheter to perform angioplasty. These procedures can take several forms including: 1. Laser fibre delivering the energy while the inflated balloon centres the fibre and occludes the blood flow. 2. Balloon angioplasty immediately following laser angioplasty. 3. Laser energy transmitted through angioplasty balloons that contain an internal fibre. (05 Mar 2000) |
| computer | A programmable electronic device that can be used to store and manipulate data in order to carry out designated functions; the two fundamental components are hardware, i.e., the actual electronic device, and software, i.e., the instructions or program used to carry out the function. (05 Mar 2000) |
| computer-aided design | The use of computers for designing and/or manufacturing of anything, including drugs, surgical procedures, orthotics, and prosthetics. (12 Dec 1998) |
| computer communication networks | A system containing any combination of computers, computer terminals, printers, audio or visual display devices, or telephones interconnected by telecommunications equipment or cables: used to transmit or receive information. (12 Dec 1998) |
| computer graphics | The process of pictorial communication, between human and computers, in which the computer input and output have the form of charts, drawings, or other appropriate pictorial representation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| computer literacy | General learning, knowledge, and fluency with computer terms; also, becoming familiar with how computers operate and how they are programmed. (12 Dec 1998) |
| computer model | A mathematical representation of the functioning of a system, presented in the form of a computer program. Synonym: computer simulation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| computer peripherals | Various units or machines that operate in combination or in conjunction with a computer but are not physically part of it. Peripheral devices typically display computer data, store data from the computer and return the data to the computer on demand, prepare data for human use, or acquire data from a source and convert it to a form usable by a computer. (12 Dec 1998) |