OCRS Glossary

Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI or MI)	heart attack; death and subsequent necrosis of the heart muscle caused by inadequate blood supply.
Advanced Life Support (ALS)	refers to a certain level of care that may be provided to a patient by rescue squad members, if necessary. Members trained in Advanced Life Support techniques are often referred to as ALS providers. Among other procedures, ALS providers are able to administer certain life-saving medications, perform advanced monitoring of heart rhythms, and are trained to perform advanced procedures to open and manage a patient's airway.
Airway	the system of the body that is involved in the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The general term "airway" includes the mouth and nose and goes all the way to the lungs and everything in between.
Anaphylaxis	allergic reaction; an acute, generalized, and violent antigen-antibody reaction that can be rapidly fatal.
Basic Life Support (BLS)	referring to a level of training that does not involve any advanced medical procedures or administration of drugs. BLS providers can provide basic life saving and life sustaining interventions while transporting a patient to a hospital. This is the foundation on which all medical care is built. Good basic life support is key to survival of critically sick and injured patients.
Bradycardia	a heart rate less than 60.
Call sheet	the official document that is used to store pertinent information about a patient, the procedures, and the call in general.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)	the process of chest compressions and airway ventilations that sustains blood flow and breathing to a patient experiencing cardiac arrest until ALS procedures can be used to attempt to reverse the condition.
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)	stroke; a CVA occurs when an obstruction in one of the blood vessels in the brain limit, or completely stops, the blood flow to different parts of the brain.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)	characterized by a decreased ability of the lungs to perform the function of ventilation. Emphysema would be an example of COPD.
Code	this term refers to a cardiac arrest. A code is a situation where a patient is not breathing and has no pulse.
Crash Truck	a heavy duty truck that carries equipment used to perform different types of rescue. Orange County Rescue Squad's crash truck, Squad 234, carries equipment used to free patients who may be trapped in automobiles, farm machinery, or other types of machinery and equipment, and to perform vertical or rope rescues from situations where the terrain or height requires ropes and other equipment to safely get a patient to an ambulance.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)	form of group support developed by Jeff Mitchell, Ph.D., to assist rescuers in coping with highly stressful events.
Cyanosis	bluish discoloration of the skin due to an increase in reduced hemoglobin in the blood. The condition is directly related to poor ventilation.
Defibrillation	the process of passing a DC electrical current through a fibrillating heart to depolarize a "critical mass" of myocardial cells, allowing them to depolarize uniformly, resulting in an organized rhythm. This procedure is commonly referred to as "shocking" someone's heart.
Emergency Medical Services	a complex health care system that provides immediate, on-scene patient care to those suffering sudden illness or injury.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)	a training certification of a particular rescue squad member . Different levels of EMTs, such as EMT-B (Basic), EMT-ST (Shock Trauma Technician), EMT-I (Intermediate), EMT-CT (Cardiac Technician), NREMT (Nationally Registered), and NREMT-PM (Paramedic) denote different levels of certification and training to perform different ALS (see ALS) procedures.
Entrapment	when a victim is physical trapped by something in a vehicle or other type of accident. The victim must be removed by mechanical means such as tools, saws, or the Jaws of Life.
Extrication	the action of removing a victim from a wrecked vehicle. In some cases this is as simple as carefully putting the patient into spinal immobilization device and moving them. In other cases mechanical means, such as the Jaws of Life are needed to move or cut parts of the car.
Glasgow Coma Scale	scoring system for monitoring the neurological status of patients with head injuries.
Golden Hour	the one-hour period following a severe injury. Based on research, it has been demonstrated that severe trauma patients who reach surgery within this period have a higher survival rate.
Heat Stroke	acute, dangerous reaction to heat exposure, characterized by a body temperature above 106° F (41.1° C). The body ceases to perspire.
Hypertension	a common disorder characterized by a persistent elevation of blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg.
Hypoglycemia	complication of diabetes characterized by low levels of blood glucose. This often occurs from too high a dose of insulin or from inadequate food intake following a normal insulin dose. Sometimes called insulin shock, hypoglycemia is a true medical emergency.
Intravenous (IV)	a procedure where fluid or medications are given directly into a patient's bloodstream. Generally, EMS providers start an IV and administer fluid or medications.
Intubation	to pass a tube into an opening of the body. Typically, EMS providers perform endotracheal intubation, where an endotracheal tube is placed in the trachea (windpipe) to assist or provide ventilations for a patient.
Jaws of Life (Hurst Tool)	a hydraulically powered tool used for vehicle accidents and other rescue work. These tools use hydraulic power to bend, force, cut and break the parts of a car or other that may be causing a patient to be trapped.
Kussmaul respirations	a very deep gasping respiratory pattern, found in diabetic coma.
Magill forceps	instrument used in airway management for reaching into the oropharynx to manipulate a foreign body, endotracheal tube, or similar item.
Packaging	the completion of emergency care procedures needed for transferring a patient from the scene to an ambulance.
Patient assessment	the act of examining a patient in order to detect a medical problem.
Poison Control Center	information center staffed by trained personnel that provides up-to-date toxicological information.
Primary assessment	first aspect of the patient assessment designed to determine any immediate threats to the patient's life. It assesses airway, breathing, and circulation, and looks for significant hemorrhage.
Pulse Oximetry	assessment modality that measures the oxygen saturation level of the blood through a noninvasive sensor placed on a finger or ear lobe.
Rescue	a term that refers in general to situations that require intervention by rescuers to remove a patient from a specific situation. Examples of common rescues include having to rescue a patient who is trapped in a car, or having to use ropes and other devices to lower an injured patient from the roof of a building.
Secondary assessment	part of the physical assessment process where detailed historical and physical findings are evaluated in order to determine the patient's medical or traumatic problem.
Seizure	a disorder of the nervous system due to a sudden, excessive, disorderly discharge of the brain neurons.
Shock	a state of inadequate tissue perfusion.
Stabilization	at the scene of a motor vehicle accident a vehicle is made stable so that it is safe for the patients in a vehicle or the rescuers around the vehicle. Stabilization is generally done using wood blocks called cribbing, chains, ropes, or other mechanical devices.
START	the acronym for Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment. The START program describes a rapid method of triaging large numbers of patients at an emergency incident.
Syncope	fainting; transient loss of consciousness due to inadequate blood flow to the brain.
Tachycardia	a heart rate greater than 100.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)	reversible interruption of blood flow to the brain. Often seen as a precursor to major stroke.
Trauma Center	a hospital that has the capability of caring for the acutely injured patient. Trauma centers must meet strict criteria to use this designation.
Triage	the act of sorting patients by severity of their injuries.
Universal precautions	set of procedures and precautions published by the Centers for Disease Control to assist health care personnel in protecting themselves from infectious disease.
Vertigo	loss of positional sensation and the perception that the horizon and all points of reference are moving.