Terms and Definitions
Adverse events
Any undesirable reaction to a medication, biologic, or procedure. This term may also be used to refer to the consequences or lack of response to a medication.
Agreement states
States that meet the minimum requirements of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Many of these states have additional safety requirements.
Analgesic
A drug that relieves pain
Anesthesia
The state of being without sensation. It may be local, regional or general. Anesthesia created by the administration of drugs is reversible and includes analgesia and muscle relaxation. Additional elements of general anesthesia are loss of consciousness, amnesia and altered autonomic homeostatic reflexes.
Aseptic surgery
Surgery performed using aseptic technique which is defined as proper preparation of patient, surgeon, equipment, and surgical suite to ensure the lowest possible number of pathogenic organisms thus minimizing infection rates
Assessment
The evaluation or judgment of the status of quality of a particular condition, situation, or other subject of appraisal, such as the clinical assessment of the patient’s conditions as a prerequisite to making a prognosis
Boarded veterinarian/specialist
A veterinary specialist, as recognized by the AVMA, is a graduate veterinarian who has successfully completed the process of board certification in an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization (e.g., board or college). To become board certified, a veterinarian must have extensive post-graduate training and experience and pass a credential review and examination set by the given specialty organization.
Client compliance
The action of a client accepting the veterinarian’s recommendations which results in optimal patient care
Consultation
A communication between two or more veterinarians concerning the diagnosis and/or care of a patient
Contagious disease
A disease that can be transmitted from animal to animal
Decontaminated
To rid of contamination, such as organisms
Deep sink
Made of impervious material; depth allows the surgeon to scrub up to the elbows without touching the sink or faucet
Disinfecting
Destroying infection-producing organisms
Hazardous waste
Biological substance or material that has the potential to cause injury or disease
Impervious
Not allowing entrance or passage
Internal controls
All measures, systems, and protocols used by a practice to ensure against errors, waste, fraud, human and/or patient health risks, improper disposal of medications, and diversion or abuse of controlled substances. Internal controls are intended to ensure the reliability of the practice’s inventory and promote compliance with appropriate regulatory agencies.
Ionizing radiation
Any kind of radiation capable of removing an orbital electron from an atom with which it interacts. This includes X-rays and fluoroscopy.
Laminar flow
A uniform, unidirectional flow near a solid boundary
Major surgery
Major surgeries are invasive surgical procedures that include, but are not limited to, laparotomies, ovariohysterectomies, thoracotomies, orthopedic procedures, and reconstructive procedures
Medical grade surgical lights
Lights that provide focal lumination output that is conducive for surgery. These lights limit the maximum heat exposure to the patient and diffuse color. Many models include removable, autoclaveable handles.
Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC)
The lowest concentration of antibiotic that kills a particular bacterium
Minor/minimally invasive surgery
Relatively non-invasive surgical procedures limited to cutaneous or incisional biopsies, minor wound debridement, and minor wound suturing. Other minor elective procedures such as excision of small cutaneous and subcutaneous masses are included.
Negative air flow
Pressure less than that of the ambient atmosphere. Negative air pressure within a room will cause air to flow into the room from the outside whenever a door or window is opened.
Nosocomial
Pertaining to, or originating in, a hospital
Parental nutrition
Nutrition through methods such as subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous injection; not through the alimentary canal
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
A rapid technique for in-vitro amplification of specific DNA or RNA sequences
Positive pressure
Condition that exists when more air is supplied to a space than is exhausted so the air pressure within that space is greater than that in surrounding areas; when a door is opened the air flows out of the room
Preemptive
To prevent something from happening
Readily available
On the premises
Receiving veterinarian
The veterinarian (or group of veterinarians) to whom a patient is referred
Recognized veterinary specialist
A veterinarian who is certified by an AVMA- recognized veterinary specialty organization
Referral
The transfer of responsibility for diagnosis and/or care from a referring veterinarian to a receiving veterinarian
Referring veterinarian
The veterinarian (or group of veterinarians) providing care at the time of the referral
Rehabilitative
To restore to normal or near normal function
Sedation
Sedation is a state characterized by central depression accompanied by drowsiness, during which the patient is generally unaware of its surroundings but responsive to noxious manipulation
Sentinel event
Adverse events that are of such a magnitude that serious morbidity or mortality occurs. The recognition and study of adverse and sentinel events can provide valuable information for individual patients, clients, and practices, as well as veterinary medicine in general.
Signalment
Characteristics describing a given patient such as species, breed, age, gender, and reproductive status
Stat
At once
Sterile field
The area around the prepped surgical site which includes, but may not be limited to, the area above the sterile drapes covering the patient and instrument trays and extending vertically to the ceiling
Surgery
The act of incising living tissue or performing an operative procedure
Surgical assistant
A person who has scrubbed in and is involved with the surgical procedure and functioning within the sterile field
Surgical suite
The designated room where only aseptic surgical procedures are performed
Ultra-short general anesthesia
I.e., injectables only
Zoonotic disease
Disease of animals transmissible to humans