| LCCA | late cortical cerebellar atrophy; leukoclastic angiitis |
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| LOA | leave of absence; Leber optic atrophy; left occipitoanterior [fetal position] |
| MSA | major serologic antigen; male-specific antigen; mannitol salt agar; Medical Services Administration;... |
| NMA | National Malaria Association; National Medical Association; neurogenic muscular atrophy; N-nitroso-N... |
| OA | obstructive apnea; occipital artery; occipito-anterior; occiput anterior; octanoic acid; ocular albi... |
| biting pressure | Any force exerted upon the occlusal surfaces of teeth. Synonym: biting pressure. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| blood pressure | <cardiology, physiology> The force that the circulating blood exerts on the walls of the arteries. This measurement is divided into systolic (pressure during contraction of the heart) and diastolic (pressure during relaxation phase). Blood pressure varies with age and sex of the individual. A rough rule of thumb for normal systolic pressure is 100 + Age of individual. In children 2 x (age) + 80 = systolic BP The diastolic pressure should be roughly 2/3 the systolic pressure. (27 Sep 1997) |
| blood pressure determination | Techniques for measuring blood pressure. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood pressure, high | High blood pressure (hypertension) is a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. High blood pressure is also called the silent killer. Chronically high blood pressure can cause blood vessel changes in the back of the eye (retina), thickening of the heart muscle, kidney failure, and brain damage. No specific cause for high blood pressure is found in 95% of patients. High blood pressure is treated with salt restriction, regular aerobic exercise, and medications. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood pressure monitoring, ambulatory | Method in which prolonged blood pressure readings are made while the patient undergoes normal daily activities. It allows quantitative analysis of the high blood pressure load over time, can help distinguish between types of hypertension, and can assess the effectiveness of antihypertensive therapy. (12 Dec 1998) |
| blood pressure monitors | Devices for continuously measuring and displaying the arterial blood pressure. (12 Dec 1998) |
| vapor pressure | The partial pressure exerted by the vapor phase of a liquid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| gauge pressure | Pressure measured relative to ambient atmospheric pressure; at sea level, it is 1 atm less than the pressure in the atmosphere. Compare: absolute pressure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| venous pressure | The blood pressure in a vein. It is usually measured to assess the filling pressure to the ventricle. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ventilators, negative-pressure | Body ventilators that assist ventilation by applying intermittent subatmospheric pressure around the thorax, abdomen, or airway and periodically expand the chest wall and inflate the lungs. They are relatively simple to operate and do not require tracheostomy. These devices include the tank ventilators ("iron lung"), portalung, pneumowrap, and chest cuirass ("tortoise shell"). (12 Dec 1998) |
| ventricular filling pressure | The pressure in the ventricle as it fills with blood, ordinarily equivalent to the mean atrial pressure when there is no A-V valvular gradient. Atrial pressure can be used in place of transmural pressure because pericardial pressure usually varies between -2 and +2 mm Hg and hence is negligible. During cardiac tamponade, pericardial and atrial pressures equilibrate so that transmural pressure is zero and the high atrial presures cannot be "filling" pressures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ventricular pressure | The pressure within a cardiac ventricle. Ventricular pressure waveforms can be measured in the beating heart by catheterization or estimated using imaging techniques (e.g., doppler echocardiography). The information is useful in evaluating the function of the myocardium, cardiac valves, and pericardium, particularly with simultaneous measurement of other (e.g., aortic or atrial) pressures. (12 Dec 1998) |
| partial pressure | The pressure exerted by a single component of a mixture of gases, commonly expressed in mm Hg or torr; for a gas dissolved in a liquid, the partial pressure is that of a gas that would be in equilibrium with the dissolved gas. Formerly, symbolised by p, followed by the chemical symbol in capital letters (e.g., pCO2, pO2); now, in respiratory physiology, P, followed by subscripts denoting location and/or chemical species (e.g., PCO2, PO2, PaCO2). (05 Mar 2000) |
| mean arterial pressure | <cardiology, physiology> The average value for arterial pressure. Systolic pressure + diastolic pressure divided by 2. (27 Sep 1997) |
| central venous pressure | The venous pressure as measured at the right atrium, done by means of a catheter introduced through the median cubital vein to the superior vena cava, the distal end of the catheter being attached to a manometer. (12 Dec 1998) |