ABPTS CCS key terms

A drop in systolic blood pressure of at least 20 mmHg, or diastolic of at least 10 mmHg, within three minutes of standing, often causing dizziness and reflecting impaired cardiovascular compensation.

Visible bulging of the neck veins when a patient reclines at roughly 30 to 45 degrees, suggesting elevated right-sided cardiac filling pressures and possible volume overload or heart failure.

Ratio of ankle systolic pressure to brachial systolic pressure measured with a Doppler device; values below 0.90 suggest peripheral arterial disease and guide exercise and wound-care decisions.

A scale from 1+ to 4+ describing how deeply a fingertip depression persists in dependent tissue, used to track fluid accumulation and response to diuretic or positioning interventions.

A vibration felt through the chest wall when the patient speaks a repeated phrase, increased over consolidation and decreased over effusion, pneumothorax, or excess adipose tissue.

Visible contraction of sternocleidomastoid, scalene, or abdominal muscles during breathing, signaling increased work of breathing and possible impending respiratory fatigue or failure.

The fraction of forced vital capacity exhaled in the first second; a reduced ratio supports obstructive lung disease, while a preserved or increased ratio suggests a restrictive pattern.

Noninvasive estimation of arterial oxygen saturation using light absorbance through a fingertip or earlobe; readings become inaccurate with poor perfusion, motion, nail polish, or abnormal hemoglobin species.

A device-guided slow deep breath that sustains inflation of the lungs, used after surgery or during immobility to prevent atelectasis and encourage sustained maximal inspiration.

Techniques such as huff coughing, positive expiratory pressure, and oscillating devices that mobilize and expel secretions in patients with retained mucus or chronic suppurative lung disease.

A breathing pattern with a slow nasal inhale and prolonged exhale through narrowed lips, which reduces air trapping and dyspnea in obstructive lung disease.

Monitoring and safeguarding a pleural drainage system, including checking for tidaling, air leaks, and output, and avoiding clamping or lifting the collection chamber above chest level.

A unit expressing exercise intensity as multiples of resting oxygen consumption, roughly 3.5 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram per minute, used to describe activity levels and functional capacity.

A subjective 6-to-20 or 0-to-10 scale measuring how hard a patient feels he or she is working during activity, commonly used to set and monitor exercise intensity.

The difference between maximal and resting heart rate; multiplying it by a target percentage and adding the resting rate yields a training heart rate for exercise prescription.

A progressive treadmill or cycle protocol that raises workload until symptoms, arrhythmia, or safety criteria stop the test, establishing functional capacity and ischemic thresholds.

A framework organizing exercise prescription into frequency, intensity, time, and type, ensuring all components of an aerobic or resistance program are specified and adjusted over time.

A self-paced corridor walk measuring the greatest distance covered in six minutes, reflecting submaximal functional exercise capacity and used to track response to rehabilitation.

Downward displacement of the ECG segment between the J point and the T wave, which may indicate myocardial ischemia, strain, or digitalis effect depending on shape and lead distribution.

An irregularly irregular supraventricular rhythm with absent P waves and a variable ventricular response, increasing stroke risk and often limiting exercise tolerance.

The ECG time from ventricular depolarization to repolarization, corrected for heart rate; prolongation raises risk of torsades de pointes, especially with certain medications or electrolyte imbalances.

The average arterial pressure during a cardiac cycle, approximated as one-third systolic plus two-thirds diastolic pressure, reflecting organ perfusion and guiding vasopressor or fluid decisions.

Named strategies such as volume control or pressure support that determine how a ventilator delivers breaths, affecting work of breathing, sedation needs, and readiness for mobilization.

New symmetric limb weakness developing during critical illness without another cause, resulting from immobility, inflammation, and sedation, and managed with early mobilization and adequate nutrition.

The structured process of reducing ventilatory support and assessing spontaneous breathing to determine when a patient can sustain respiration without the artificial airway.

Starting positioning, range of motion, sitting, and walking as soon as the patient is medically stable in critical care, reducing delirium, weakness, and length of stay.

A collaborative conversational style that evokes a patient's own reasons for change by exploring ambivalence and strengthening commitment, rather than persuading or advising directly.

Asking patients to restate instructions in their own words so the clinician can confirm understanding and correct gaps, rather than asking whether they understood.

A model describing progression through precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance, helping clinicians match counseling strategies to a patient's readiness for behavior change.

A patient's capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information needed to make decisions, influenced by education, language, culture, and the complexity of written materials.

A person's confidence in his or her ability to perform a specific behavior successfully, a strong predictor of adherence to exercise and self-management programs.

The process of explaining the purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives of an intervention and confirming voluntary agreement, respecting patient autonomy and documenting the discussion.

Clinical decisions integrating the best available research, clinician expertise, and patient values and preferences, rather than relying on habit or tradition alone.

Team-based care in which professionals from different disciplines share goals, information, and decision-making to coordinate safe, efficient patient management.

The degree to which an instrument or test measures what it is intended to measure, including content, criterion, and construct forms relevant to selecting outcome measures.

A structured, iterative method for testing small changes: planning an intervention, trying it, studying the results, and acting on findings to improve care processes.