| PICU | pediatric intensive care unit; pulmonary intensive care unit |
|---|---|
| SCU | self-care unit; special care unit |
| SICU | spinal intensive care unit; surgical intensive care unit |
| MCU | malaria control unit; maximum care unit; micturating cystourethrography; motor cortex unit |
| AU | according to custom [Lat. ad usum]; allergenic unit; ngstrom unit; antitoxin unit; arbitrary unit; A... |
| transluminal percutaneous coronary angioplasty | <cardiology, procedure> Dilatation of an occluded coronary artery (or arteries) by means of a balloon catheter to restore myocardial blood supply. (07 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| unroofed coronary sinus syndrome | <syndrome> A spectrum of cardiac anomalies in which part or all of the common wall between the coronary sinus and the left atrium is absent. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left coronary artery | <anatomy, artery> Origin, left aortic sinus; distribution, it divides into two major branches, an anterior interventricular which descends in the anterior interventricular sulcus, and a circumflex branch which passes to the diaphragmatic surface of the left ventricle; gives atrial, ventricular, and atrioventricular branches. Synonym: arteria coronaria sinistra. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left coronary artery branches | <radiology> Left anterior descending (LAD) artery, diagonal branches, septal branches (short br. at 90' angle), left circumflex artery (LCA), obtuse marginal branches (12 Dec 1998) |
| left coronary vein | <anatomy, vein> Begins at the apex of the heart (where it anastomoses with the middle cardiac vein), runs first with the anterior interventricular artery as it ascends the anterior interventricular groove, then turns to the left as it approaches or reaches the coronary groove to run with the circumflex branch of the left coronary artery; it merges with the oblique vein of the left atrium to form the coronary sinus. Synonym: vena cordis magna, left coronary vein, vena cardiaca magna. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ambulatory care | Medical care (including diagnosis, observation, treatment and rehabilitation) provided on an outpatient basis. Ambulatory care is given to persons who are not confined to a hospital but rather are ambulatory and, literally, are able to ambulate or walk about. (A well-baby visit is considered ambulatory care even though the baby is not walking). (12 Dec 1998) |
| ambulatory care facilities | Those facilities which administer health services to individuals who do not require hospitalization or institutionalization. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ambulatory care information systems | Information systems, usually computer-assisted, designed to store, manipulate, and retrieve information for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling administrative activities associated with the provision and utilization of ambulatory care services and facilities. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cancer care facilities | Institutions specializing in the care of cancer patients. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cardiac care facilities | Institutions specializing in the care of patients with heart disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| care | In medicine and public health, a general term for the application of knowledge to the benefit of a community or individual. (05 Mar 2000) |
| care, ambulatory | Medical care (including diagnosis, observation, treatment and rehabilitation) provided on an outpatient basis. Ambulatory care is given to persons who are not confined to a hospital but who are ambulatory and literally able to ambulate, to walk about. (A well-baby visit is considered ambulatory care even though the baby is not walking). (12 Dec 1998) |
| care, managed | Any system that manages healthcare delivery in order to control costs. (12 Dec 1998) |
| care proxy, health | A health care proxy is one form of advance medical directive. Advance medical directives preserve the person's right to accept or reject a course of medical treatment even after that person becomes mentally or physically incapacitated to the point of being unable to communicate those wishes. There are two basic forms of advance directives: 1. A living will, in which the person outlines specific treatment guidelines that are to be followed by health care providers. 2. A health care proxy (also called a power of attorney for health-care decision-making) in which the person designates a trusted individual to make medical decisions in the event that he or she becomes too incapacitated to make such decisions. Advance directive requirements vary greatly from one jurisdiction to another and should therefore be drawn up in consultation with an attorney who is familiar with the laws of the particular jurisdiction. (This entry is based upon material from the National MS Society). (12 Dec 1998) |
| palliative care | Treatment aimed at relieving symptoms and pain rather than effecting a cure. (13 Nov 1997) |