Physiology and Anatomy Vocab
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Created by:
CourtneyAnne on July 4, 2012
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148 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 anatomy | study of body structure |
| physiology | study of the body function |
| anatomical position | the standard reference position for the body in the study of anatomy; body is standing erect, facing the observer, arms down at sides and the palms of the hands forward |
| midline | imaginary line drawn down the center of the body, dividing it into right and left halves |
| medial | toward the midline of the body |
| lateral | to the side, away from the midline of the body |
| bilateral | on both sides |
| mid-axillary line | a line drawn vertically from the armpit to the ankle |
| anterior | the front of |
| posterior | the back of |
| ventral | referring to the front of the body |
| dorsal | referring to the back of the body, back of hand, or back of foot |
| superior | toward the head |
| inferior | away from the head |
| proximal | closer to torso |
| distal | farther away from torso |
| torso | trunk of body; body without extremities or head |
| palmar | palm of hand |
| plantar | sole of foot |
| mid-clavicular line | line through center of each clavicle |
| supine | lying on back |
| prone | lying face down |
| recovery position | lying on the side; preferred for unconscious patients so fluid can drain and avoid inhalation of fluid |
| Fowler position | sitting position |
| RUQ | liver, kidney, colon, pancreas, gallbladder |
| LUQ | liver, spleen, left kidney, stomach, colon, pancreas |
| RLQ | right kidney, colon, small intestines, major artery and vein to right leg, ureter, appendix, bladder |
| LLQ | left kidney, colon, small intestines, major artery and vein to left leg, ureter, bladder |
| Trendelenburg position | patient's feet and legs are higher than the head (likely in shock) |
| thyroid cartilage | Adam's apple; wing-shaped plate of cartilage |
| musculoskeletal system | gives body shape, protects vital internal organs, provide for body movement (contains joint, bones, and muscles) |
| skeleton | bones of the body |
| muscle | tissue that can contract to allow movement of a body part |
| ligament | tissue that connects bone to bone |
| tendon | tissue that connects bone to muscle |
| respiratory system | contains the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchial tubes, lungs; obtains oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the body |
| cardiovascular system | contains heart, arteries, veins; pumps blood throughout the entire body to transport nutrients, oxygen, and wastes |
| blood | made up of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets |
| nervous system | contains the brain, spinal cord, nerves; receives sensory information and coordinates the body's response |
| digestive system | contains the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, colon, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas; ingests, digests, and absorbs nutrients for the body |
| integumentary system | contains the skin, hair, nails, sweat glands; forms a protective barrier and aids in temperature regulation |
| endocrine system | contains the pituitary glad, pineal gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, thymus gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, testes, ovaries; regulates metabolic/hormonal activities of the body |
| renal/urinary system | contains the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, urethra; filters waste products out of the blood and removes them from the body |
| skull | bones of the head, encloses and protects the brain |
| cranium | the top, back, and sides of the skull |
| mandible | lower jaw bone |
| maxillae | the two fused bones forming the upper jaw |
| nasal bones | nose bones |
| orbits | surround the eyes |
| zygomatic arches | structures of the cheeks |
| spinal column | provides structure and support for the body and house/protects the spinal cord, consists of 33 vertebrae |
| thorax | the chest |
| sternum | divided into three sections (manubrium-superior, body-center, xiphoid process-inferior tip) |
| pelvis | supports the spine, point of proximal attachment for the lower extremities |
| ilium | superior and widest part of the pelvis |
| ischium | lower and posterior part of the pelvis |
| pubis | medial and anterior part of the pelvis |
| acetabulum | hip joint, socket |
| femur | large thigh bone |
| patella | kneecap |
| tibia | medial and larger bone of the lower leg |
| fibula | lateral and smaller bone of the lower leg |
| malleolus | protrusion of the side of the ankle |
| tarsals | ankle bones |
| metatarsals | foot bones |
| calcaneus | heel bone |
| phalanges | toes and finger bones |
| clavicle | collarbone |
| scapula | shoulder blade |
| acromion process | the highest portion of the shoulder |
| acromioclavicular joint | the joint where the acromion and clavicle meet |
| humerus | bone of the upper arm, between the shoulder and elbow |
| radius | lateral bone of the forearm |
| ulna | the medial bone of the forearm |
| carpals | wrist bones |
| metacarpals | hand bones |
| voluntary muscle | can be consciously controlled, skeletal muscle |
| involuntary muscle | responds automatically to brain signals but cannot be consciously controlled, smooth muscle (found in gastrointestinal system, lungs, blood vessels, and urinary systems) |
| cardiac muscle | specialized involuntary muscle found only in the heart |
| oropharynx | area directly posterior to the mouth |
| nasopharynx | area directly posterior to the nose |
| pharynx | made up of the oropharynx and the nasopharynx |
| epiglottis | a leaf shaped structure that prevents food and foreign objects from entering the trachea |
| larynx | voice box |
| cricoid cartilage | ring shaped structure that forms lower larynx |
| trachea | windpipe, connects the pharynx to the lungs |
| lungs | organs where exchange of atmospheric oxygen and waste carbon dioxide takes place |
| bronchi | come off trachea and enter the lungs |
| alveoli | microscopic sacs of the lungs where gas exchange with the bloodstream takes place |
| diaphragm | muscular structure that divides the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity |
| inhalation | rib muscles and diaphragm contract, expanding the size of the chest cavity to increase in size and air to flow into the lungs |
| exhalation | rib muscles and diaphragm relax, decreasing chest cavity size to move air out of the lungs |
| ventilation | process of moving gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) between inhaled air and the pulmonary circulation of blood |
| respiration | process of moving oxygen and carbon dioxide between circulating blood and the cells |
| right atria | right upper chamber of the heart, receives deoxygenated blood returning from the body |
| left atria | left upper chamber of the heart, receives oxygenated blood returning from the lungs |
| right ventricle | right lower chamber of the heart, sends oxygen poor blood to the lungs using the pulmonary artery |
| left ventricle | left lower chamber of the heart, sends oxygenated blood to the body (through the aorta) |
| valve | structure that opens and closes to permit the flow of a fluid in only one direction |
| cardiac conduction system | system of specialized muscle tissues that conduct electrical impulses that stimulate the heart to beat |
| artery | carries blood away from the heart |
| coronary arteries | blood vessels that supply the muscle of the heart |
| aorta | largest artery; transports blood from the left ventricle to begin systemic circulation |
| pulmonary arteries | vessels that carry deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs |
| carotid artery | large neck arteries; carry blood from the head to the head |
| femoral artery | supplies the leg with blood |
| brachial artery | upper arm, pulse checked during infant CPR |
| radial artery | wrist pulse, artery of the lower arm |
| posterior tibial artery | supplying the foot behind the medial ankle |
| dorsalis pedis artery | supplying the foot lateral to the large tendon of the big toe |
| arteriole | smallest kind of artery |
| capillary | thin-walled, microscopic blood vessel where oxygen and carbon dioxide and nutrient and waste exchange within the body takes place |
| venule | smallest kind of vein |
| vein | any blood vessel returning blood to the heart |
| pulmonary vein | carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart |
| plasma | fluid portion of the blood |
| red blood cells | carry oxygen to and carbon dioxide away from the cells |
| white blood cells | produce substances that help the body fight infections |
| platelets | membrane-enclosed fragments of specialized cells, clotting |
| pulse | rhythmic beats caused as waves of blood move through and expand the arteries |
| blood pressure | caused by blood exerting force against the walls of blood vessels; usually the pressure in an artery is measured |
| systolic blood pressure | created in arteries when the left ventricle contracts and forces blood out into circulation (120 is usual) |
| diastolic blood pressure | the pressure in arteries when the left ventricle is refilling (80 is usual) |
| perfusion | the supply of oxygen to, and removal of wastes from, the cells and tissues of the body as a result of the flow of blood through the capillaries |
| hypoperfusion | shock, inadequate oxygen and removal of waste of the cells and tissues caused by insufficient flow of blood through the capillaries |
| central nervous system | brain and spinal cord, consciousness |
| peripheral nervous system | nerves that enter and leave the spinal cord and travel between the brain and organs without passing through the spinal cord, sensory and motor |
| autonomic nervous system | the division of peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary motor functions (digestion and heart rate) |
| stomach | muscular sac between the esophagus and the small intestine where digestion of food begins, hollows and expands with food |
| small intestine | muscular tube between the stomach and large intestine divided into the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum which receives partially digested food from the stomach and continues digestion; nutrients for the body are absorbed through these walls |
| large intestine | removes water from waste products received from the small intestine and moves anything not absorbed by the body toward excretion |
| liver | largest organ of the body which produces bile to assist in breakdown of fats and assists in metabolism of various substances in the body |
| gallbladder | a sac on the underside of the live that stores bile produced by the liver |
| pancreas | a gland located behind the stomach that produces insulin and juices that assist in digestion of food in the duodenum of the small intestine |
| spleen | organ located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen that acts as a blood filtration system and a reservoir for reserves of blood |
| appendix | small tube located near the junction of the small and large intestines in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen; inflammation is common cause of abdominal pain |
| skin | the layer of tissue between the body and the external environment that has 3 major layers (epidermis-outermost layer, dermis- second layer, subcutaneous later- later of fat and soft tissue) that protects, maintains water balance, regulates temperature and execration, and helps with shock absorption |
| insulin | hormone produced by the pancreas or taken as a medication by many diabetics |
| epinephrine | hormone produced by the body and as a medication it dilated respiratory passages and is used to relieve severe allergic reactions |
| kidneys | organs of the renal system used to filter blood and regulate fluid levels in the body |
| bladder | round, sac-like organ used as a reservoir for urine |
| ureters | tubes connecting kidneys to the bladder |
| urethra | tube connecting the bladder to vagina or penis for urination |
| testes | male organ of reproduction used for the production of sperm |
| penis | male reproductive organ responsible for sexual intercourse and transfer of sperm |
| ovaries | egg producing organs |
| uterus | female organ of reproduction used to house developing fetus |
| vagina | female reproductive organ used for sexual intercourse and an exit from the uterus for the fetus |
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