Category: B

A neuropsychological test involving the placement of wooden blocks according to three-dimensional drawings. The test assesses the presence of constructional apraxia, often exhibited in patients with brain lesions.  

Prevention of the action of something, such as a drug or a body function.  

A wedge of sturdy material used to maintain space between the two jaws.  

Blocks made of sturdy material, such as wood, to elevate one end of a bed relative to the other. Bed blocks may be used in the home, e.g., to treat people with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Most beds in health care institutions are built with devices that separately raise or lower the feet, legs, trunk, or…

Abdominal discomfort related to disorders of intestinal motility and intestinal sensitivity to distention. This symptom is often presumed to be related to the retention of fluid or gas in the bowel, but it also may be produced by disorders of the ovaries or other genitourinary organs. Abdominal distension, a frequently encountered condition, often arises from…

A method of protecting individual doses of medications within a transparent cavity or cell made from a dome-shaped plastic barrier. The barrier separates one dose from another, protects the medication from moisture, and keeps it from being crushed or damaged during transportation or storage. Each dose of the medication can be individually released or unwrapped…

To a method, study, or clinical trial in which neither the subject nor the investigator knows the hypothesis, problem, or condition being tested. Blinding reduces the potential for bias.  

The use of a catheter inserted without bronchoscopic visualization into the tracheobronchial tree to obtain lower respiratory specimens of fluid for culture. A relatively low-cost alternative to bronchoscopically obtained cultures or brushings in patients suspected of having ventilator-associated pneumonia.  

Without sight.  

Narrowing of the palpebral slit due to an inability to open the eye normally.