Letter: p

A fever producing substance. Endotoxin is a pyrogen. Also known as a pyrogenic lipopolysaccharide. SEE endotoxin.

Eliciting a fever.

In a pandemic or quarantine situation refers to those inner feelings of guilt, ethical conflict, frustration and anger that can occur due to long hours, an overwhelming number of patients, high mortality, quarantine conditions, family responsibilities, fear of infection, etc.

Hemorrhage into the skin, mucous membranes, internal organs, and other tissues; one type is Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) (spontaneous bleeding under the skin due to low numbers of platelets; unknown cause, often self-correcting).

A syndrome characterized by a systemic bacterial infection and septicemia suffered by a mother in the period immediately after childbirth (childbirth fever). Ignaz Semmelweis discovered washing hands with chlorine water dramatically reduced the infection. 1840s.

Containing or forming pus. SYN suppuration.

Pulmonary artery catheters require a significant amount of manipulation during insertion, and adjustment during monitoring. The use of a sterile plastic sleeve over the exterior portion of the catheter reduces the microbial contamination of the surface, thus reducing the risk of infection. Because the catheter is usually dragged along the surface of the drape, the sleeve would also reduce lint contamination, therefore reducing the risk of lint thrombosis.

A creamy exudata that is the remains of necrosis of the tissues. Its main constituent is an abundance of polymorphonuclearphiles (PMN – aka neutrophils), fluids from this inflammatory response, bacteria and cell debris.

The insertion of a catheter into a pulmonary artery. Its purpose is diagnostic; it is used to detect heart failure or sepsis, monitor therapy, and evaluate the effects of drugs. The pulmonary artery catheter allows direct, simultaneous measurement of pressures in the right atrium, right ventricle, pulmonary artery, and the filling pressure (wedge pressure) of the left atrium. The pulmonary artery catheter is frequently referred to as a Swan-Ganz catheter.

A thickening of the circular layer of gastric musculature encircling the gastroduodenal junction.