| pressure-controlled respirator | A respirator that provides a predetermined pressure to gases during inhalation, the volume of gas moved being variable, depending upon resistance. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| pressure dressing | A dressing by which pressure is exerted on the area covered to prevent the collection of fluids in the underlying tissues; most commonly used after skin grafting and in the treatment of burns. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure epiphysis | A secondary centre of ossification in the articular end of a long bone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure gangrene | <dermatology> A chronic ulcer that appears in pressure areas in debilitated patients confined to bed or otherwise immobilised, due to a circulatory defect from the enhanced tissue pressure in high-contact areas, often occurring over a bony prominence (for example sacral decubitus). (27 Sep 1997) |
| pressure, intraocular | The pressure created by the continual renewal of fluids within the eye. The intraocular pressure is increased in glaucoma. In acute angle-closure glaucoma, the intraocular pressure rises because the canal into which the fluid in the front part of the eye normally drains is suddenly blocked. In chronic glaucoma, there is a gradual imbalance between the production and removal (resorption) of the fluid in the back part of the eye (with supply exceeding demand). (12 Dec 1998) |
| pressure palsy | Paralysis due to compression of a nerve, nerve trunk, or spinal cord. Synonym: pressure palsy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure paralysis | Paralysis due to compression of a nerve, nerve trunk, or spinal cord. Synonym: pressure palsy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure plethysmograph | A plethysmograph applied to part of the body, e.g., a limb segment, and arranged so that volume is measured during temporary application of sufficient pressure to the part to empty its blood vessels, a body plethysmograph in which changes of body volume are measured in terms of the consequent changes in air pressure in the body plethysmograph. Volume-displacement plethysmograph, a plethysmograph, usually a body plethysmograph, in which changes in volume displace a corresponding volume into or out of a very compliant measuring device, such as a Krogh spirometer or integrating flowmeter. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure point | A cutaneous locus having pressure-sensitive elements which when compressed, pressure is appreciated. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure reversal | Cessation of anaesthesia by hyperbaric pressure; of major importance in understanding the mode of action of anaesthetics. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure sense | The faculty of discriminating various degrees of pressure on the surface. Synonym: baresthesia, piesesthesia, weight sense. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure sore | <dermatology> A chronic ulcer that appears in pressure areas in debilitated patients confined to bed or otherwise immobilised, due to a circulatory defect from the enhanced tissue pressure in high-contact areas, often occurring over a bony prominence (for example sacral decubitus). (27 Sep 1997) |
| pressure stasis | Cyanotic asphyxia due to trauma; the extravasation of blood into the skin and conjunctivae, produced by a sudden mechanical increase in venous pressure, analogous to the Rumpel-Leede test; it is common in those who have been hanged, and is seen occasionally in crush injuries. Synonym: pressure stasis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure urticaria | Urticaria of unknown aetiology occurring after local pressure on the skin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pressure-volume index | Method of evaluating the cerebrospinal fluid hydrodynamics. (05 Mar 2000) |