In the Midst of Life

saline to be flushed into the bladder, and the other allows the saline and bladder contents to drain out.
    Blood count: a general term referring to the counts of different elements of the blood, such as red blood cells, urea or potassium. BMA: British Medical Association.
    Brompton cocktail: a concoction of many different types of drugs often given to terminally ill patients to alleviate pain.
    Bronchitis: inflammation of the bronchi, the smallest breathing passages in the lungs.
    Cannula: a very thin tube, thinner than a catheter, which can be inserted into the body, e.g. into a vein.
    Carcinogenic: something which causes cancer, e.g. tar in cigarettes is a known carcinogenic.
    Cardiac stimulants: drugs which stimulate the heart to work correctly.
    Cardiologist: a medical specialist in conditions and problems with the heart.
    Cardio-pulmonary: pertaining to the heart and lungs.
    Cardiovascular: pertaining to the heart and circulation system.
    Carotid beat: the pulse felt from the carotid artery, in the neck.
    Catheterise: to place a catheter, which is a small tube, into the body, e.g. a bladder catheter to help drain urine, a kidney catheter to help drain urine directly from the kidneys.
    Central line: a small tube inserted into the one of the large veins leading to the heart. Drugs can be administered into this, and blood samples taken from it.
    Cerebral arteries: the arteries in the brain.
    Chemotherapy: strong poisons used to destroy fast-dividing cells. Since cancer cells normally grow much more quickly than normal cells, chemotherapy may effectively kill them. However some chemotherapy cannot discern between the cancer’s fast-dividing cells and normal fast-dividing cells, e.g. gut cells, hair cells. This iswhy some chemotherapy causes nausea, mouth ulcers, diarrhoea and hair loss. These drugs are dose-limiting: i.e. a person can only have so much of a certain drug at a time.
    Cholera: gastroenteritis caused by bacteria. It results in severe diarrhoea. The disease can progress very quickly resulting in shock within twelve hours from severe dehydration. It is extremely contagious.
    Clot-buster: a drug to dissolve any clots which have formed in the blood vessels.
    Colitis: inflammation of the colon, the large bowel.
    Colostomy: when the bowel is surgically attached to the skin so that faeces are excreted into a bag which can then be emptied.
    Congestive heart failure: heart failure is when the heart, which is a large muscle, begins to enlarge and get weaker through age or disease. This means it has to work harder to maintain normal heart function. The disease can be controlled at times by certain drugs.
    Coronary arteries: the arteries of the heart. There are four arteries which supply the heart muscle with oxygen. Coronary failure: another term for heart failure. CPR: short for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation: the full term for resuscitation.
    Craniotomy: removal of part of the skull bone during a surgical procedure to the brain.
    Cross-matching: this is a process which is carried out to make sure the person is given the right type of blood during a blood transfusion.
    Cyanosis: lack of oxygen in the body’s tissues leading to a blue colour in extremities.
    Defensive medicine: medicine and treatment carried out to prevent complaints and safeguard against malpractice.
    Defibrillator: a machine which delivers electric shocks to the heart, to try and reverse fibrillation of the heart muscle.
    Dementia: a disease which causes the brain to begin to degenerate. There are over two hundred different types of dementia, the most common being Alzheimer’s. The disease is not curable.
    Dialyse: pertainingto kidney dialysis, a process where the blood is mechanically filtered because the kidneys are unable to perform this function.
    Diuretics: drugs which increase the drainage of urine out of the kidneys, often used to reduce blood volume, e.g. in high blood pressure and heart failure.
    Draining filaments: a drain where the end is frayed out into filaments: used to drain wounds or wound cavities.
    Duodenal ulcer: an area of the duodenum, which becomes very sore and excoriated. This can cause pain, indigestion and nausea.
    Duodenum: first part of the small bowel leading away from the stomach.
    Electrolyte balance: electrolytes are substances produced by the body which maintain healthy functioning. Certain electrolytes include potassium and sodium. If the levels become abnormal such as in kidney dysfunction many of the