Glossary F's
facemask
Definition:tight-fitting mask worn over the nose and/or mouth used to deliver oxygen and pressure in respiratory support
faint
Definition:to lose consciousness due to a temporary decrease in the blood supply to the brain; also, weak or indistinct
fallopian tube
Definition:either of two long, slender ducts connecting a woman's ovaries to the uterus; passageway for eggs from the ovaries to the uterus
fasciitis
Definition:inflammation of the layer of connective tissue that covers, separates, and supports muscles
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Definition:United State's regulatory agency concerned with planning, promoting and administering programs pertaining to standards of foods, drugs, therapeutic devices, etc
febrile
Definition:relating to a fever, such as febrile seizures, which are seizures occurring in a child who has a fever
feces
Definition:bodily waste discharged through the anus; also called stool
fellow
Definition:a doctor who has completed medical school, intern and residency training, is licensed by state law to practice medicine, and is training for a specialized branch of medicine
femoral artery
Definition:main artery that supplies blood to each leg
femoral
Definition:pertaining to the femur or thigh
femur
Definition:bone located between the hip and the knee; the thighbone
fetus
Definition:developing, unborn offspring of an animal that gives birth, as opposed to laying eggs; in humans, the period after the seventh or eighth week of pregnancy is the fetal period
fiberoptics
Definition:thin, flexible instruments that transmit light and images, allowing structures inside the body to be viewed
fibrillation
Definition:rapid, inefficient contraction of muscle fibers of the heart caused by disruption of electrical impulses
fibrocystic breast disease
Definition:most common cause of breast lumps
fibroid
Definition:noncancerous tumor of the uterus made up of smooth muscle and connective tissue
fibroma
Definition:noncancerous tumor of connective tissue
fibrosis
Definition:abnormal formation of connective or scar tissue
fibula
Definition:thinner of the two long bones in lower leg
fissure
Definition:groove or slit on the body or in an organ
fistula
Definition:abnormal passageway from one organ to another or from an organ to the body surface
fluoroscopy
Definition:method used to view organ structure and function by passing X-rays through the body and monitoring the resulting image on a fluorescent screen
fecal occult blood test
Definition:test that uses a piece of chemically sensitive paper to detect blood in a stool sample; used to screen for possible signs of cancer in the large intestine or rectum
food poisoning
Definition:stomach pain, diarrhea, and/or vomiting caused by eating contaminated food
forceps
Definition:instruments resembling tweezers used to handle objects or tissue during surgery
foreign body
Definition:object in an organ or body cavity that is not normally present
frostbite
Definition:damage to body tissue as a result of freezing
fulminant
Definition:descriptive of disorder that begins suddenly and worsens quickly
fungus
Definition:organism that is dependent on another organism for nourishment
fracture
Definition:a bone break