Transcription
Let's go over the top medical prefixes you want to know. First up is A. This means without. For instance, Aphasia. This is where the person is without the ability to communicate.
Then we have AB. AB this means away. So whenever we're talking about abduction, this is where we're moving the arms away from the body.
Then we have the opposite of that, which is ADD. ADD this means toward. For instance, adduction. This is where we're going to move the arms toward the trunk of the body.
Next is ACOUS, which means hearing. And you may hear this term in acoustic trauma, which is where we have damage to the hearing.
And then we have ACRA. ACR, which means either extreme or extremity. And you can see this prefix used in the term acrocyanosis. And this is something that we look for in the newborn during the Apgar assessment. Cyanosis means a blue color. So we're seeing bluish colors in either the hands or the feet, which are the extremities.
Then there's ANDRO, which means the male reproductive system. It's found in the word androgens, which is a sex hormone that promotes male characteristics.
And then we have ANGI, which means vessel. So if we say angioma, we're talking about a tumor that is mainly made up of blood vessels.
And then ANTI means before or in front of. So whenever we're talking about anticubital, this is the region before or in front of the elbow.
And then there's ANTI. This means against or instead of. So whenever we are talking about antibiotics, we're talking about something that works against a living organism, such as bacteria.
And then there's ARTH, which means joint. So when a person says they have arthritis, they have something that affects their joint, particularly it's inflaming joint.
An AUTO means self or own. So whenever you say you have an autoimmune disease, you have a disease that is attacking yourself or your own tissue.
Then we have BI. BI, that means two. So whenever we talk about the bicuspid valve in the heart, we're talking about a valve that has two cusps on it.
And then there's BIO, which means life. Therefore, whenever we refer to the word biology, this is the study of life.
And then there's BLAST, which means bud or an immature form of something. So when I say blastocyte, that means I'm talking about an immature cell that will eventually mature.
And then we have BRADY, which means slow. So if I say someone has bradycardia, I'm talking about that they have a slow heart rate. And this is typically less than 60 beats per minute in an adult.
And then we have BRONCHO. BRONCHO deals with the lungs, particularly the large tubes in the lungs, like the bronchi or the bronchus. So when we say bronchoconstriction, we're talking about those large tubes that have narrowed.
The next we have BUCCO, which means cheek. So if the nurse receives an order to give a medication the buccal route, we're going to give it in the cheek.
And then there's CARDIO, which means heart. So if a person is a cardiologist, they study the heart.
And then we have CEPHAL, which means the head. So whenever you hear the term cephalic, that means the head region.
Next up is CEREBRO, which means brain or cerebrum. Therefore, we say a person has had a cerebrovascular accident. This is a type of stroke that has affected the brain or cerebrum.
And then we have CIRCUM, which means around. So whenever we say circumduction, that means that we are moving the limbs around in a circular motion.
Next up is COST, which means the ribs. Therefore, whenever I say the term costovertebral, I'm talking about the region where the ribs and the vertebra meet.
Then we have DERM. DERM means skin. So whenever you say dermis, we're talking about the middle layer of the skin.
And then we have DYS. DYS, and this means difficult. So if you say a patient has dysphagia, dysphagia, that suffix part is talking about eating or swallowing. And when we put DYS in front of it, that prefix, that means that they have difficulty swallowing or eating.
Followed by that is ENDO, which means within. Therefore, if we say a person is having an endoscopy, we're talking about them having a procedure where we're going to go with a scope within the body to look around and see what's going on.
Next is ENTERO, which means intestine. So if a person has enteritis, that means that they have inflammation of their intestines.
And then EPI means above or on top of. Therefore, whenever I refer to the epidermis, I'm talking about that top layer of the skin.
Next is ERYTHRO, which means red. Whenever I say the word erythrocyte, I'm talking about the red blood cells.
Then there's GASTRO, which means stomach. Therefore, whenever a person has gastritis, that means they have inflammation of their stomach.
GLOSSO means tongue. And you'll see this prefix whenever we're talking maybe about certain cranial nerves, like the glossopharyngeal nerve. This is cranial nerve nine that we can test, and this controls the movement of her tongue.
Next is GYNO, which means female reproductive system. If a person is a gynecologist, that is a person who studies the female reproductive system.
Then we have HEMI, this means half. In your brain, you have two hemispheres, two halves.
Here is HEMO or HEMA. This means blood. A person who studies the blood or blood disorders is called a hematologist.
Next up is HEPAT, this means liver. If we say a person has hepatitis, we're talking about inflammation that affects the liver.
Then HYDRO, this means water. A condition that uses this prefix is like hydronephrosis. This is where we have too much water, extra fluid on the kidneys, and it causes it to swell and enlarge.
Next up is HYPER, which means excessive or high. There are a lot of electrolyte imbalances that love to use this prefix. For instance, like hypernatremia. When we take this word apart, look at its prefix, its root, and its suffix, you get high or excessive amounts of sodium in the blood.
Then we have an opposite prefix with this, which is HYPO. This means low or below. So the opposite of a hypernatremia would be a hyponatremia. And this would mean that we have low amounts of sodium in the blood.
Next up is INTER, which means between. When you hear the term intercostal, that means the space between the ribs.
Then we have INTRA. INTRA, which means within or inside. And this prefix is used like in the word intravenous. We may give you intravenous solutions. These are solutions that are going to go within or inside your venous system.
Next is the prefix ISO, which means equal. This can be used in the word isotonic or isotonic solutions. This means that these solutions have the same or equal tonicity as your blood plasma.
Next is the prefix LIPO, which means fat. When you hear the term liposuction, that means that we're sucking out fat.
And then MACRO, which means large. Whenever you hear that someone has macrocytic anemia, that means that their red blood cells are way too large.
MENINGO means membrane. Whenever a person has meningitis, that means that that membrane around the spinal cord, head's brain is inflamed.
Then we have META, which means beyond. So the metatarsals are the bones that are just beyond the tarsal of the foot bone.
And here we have MICRO, which means small. So if I say a person has microcytic anemia, this is where their red blood cells are way too small, which is the opposite of macrocytic.
And then here we have MYO, which means muscle. So whenever we're talking about the myocardium, we're talking about a layer of the heart muscle.
And then the prefix NEPHRO means kidney. If you have a kidney problem, you want to see a nephrologist.
NEURO means nerve. If you have a nerve problem or a brain problem, you want to see a neurologist.
And then OLIGO means scanty or little. In nursing, we'll use the term oliguria to describe a patient who has little to no urine output.
And here we have OPHTHALMO, which means eye. If you have an eye problem, you're going to go to an ophthalmologist.
Next is OSTEO, which means bone. If a person has osteoporosis, that means that they have an issue with their bones.
And then OT/OTO means ear. Sometimes medications can cause ototoxicity. That means that they cause issues with our ear, sometimes hearing issues.
Next is PARA, which means beside or near. Whenever you hear someone talking about the parathyroid, they're talking about a structure that is near or beside the thyroid gland.
Here is PERI, which means surrounding or around. Whenever you hear the term pericardium, we're talking about the layer around the heart or surrounding the heart.
Here is PHLEB. PHLEB, it means vein. This prefix is used in the word phlebotomy, and this is a procedure where we go inside the vein to remove blood.
Then there's POST, which means after. For instance, postpartum care. This is the care that is given after childbirth.
Then we have PRE, which is the opposite of post. This means before. If we say prenatal care, this is the care that is given before childbirth.
And then the prefix PSEUDO means fake or false. Whenever you hear the term pseudoscience, this is something trying to claim it's science, but it's actually false and fake.
PULMO means lungs. Whenever someone is a pulmonologist, they provide care to the lungs.
RHINO means nose. Whenever a person has rhinitis, they have inflammation that's affecting their nose or their nasal area.
And the prefix SPLENO means spleen. If a person has splenomegaly, that means they have enlargement of their spleen.
SUB means below. We use the term sublingual to let us know that we're talking about the area below the tongue.
SUPRA means above or on top. Supraventricular tachycardia means that this is a rhythm that's really fast that originates above or on top of the ventricles.
TACHI is fast. Whenever we say a person is tachycardic, that means that their heart rate is really fast. And this is a rate greater than 100 beats per minute.
THORCO means chest. Whenever we're talking about thoracic, we're talking about the chest region.
TRANS means across. If we say transmembrane, that means it goes across the membrane.
And then lastly, URO, this means we're talking about the urinary tract system. Sometimes a patient may have a urostomy, and this is an opening that leads us to the urinary tract system.
Okay, so that wraps up this review. If you'd like to watch more videos in this series, you can access it via the link in the description below.