CENP key terms

The estimated chance that a patient has a particular condition before a test result is known, based on history, examination, and local prevalence. It helps decide whether testing will change management.

A statistic that shows how much a test result multiplies the odds of having a disease. Values far from 1.0 strongly shift suspicion; values near 1.0 barely change it.

A validated tool that combines history, examination, or test findings to estimate risk and guide decisions such as imaging or discharge. It should be applied only to similar populations.

A symptom, sign, or history detail that warns of serious underlying disease and calls for urgent evaluation or escalation, even when the patient appears stable.

An ordered list of possible causes for a patient's presentation, ranked by likelihood and by danger. It is updated as new history, examination, and test information becomes available.

Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated body response to infection. Early recognition, cultures, antibiotics, and careful fluid resuscitation improve the chance of survival.

Sepsis with persistent low blood pressure that requires vasopressor medication and ongoing evidence of poor perfusion despite adequate fluids. It is a high-mortality emergency needing rapid, coordinated care.

A blood marker that rises when tissues lack oxygen, commonly measured in sepsis and shock. Serial values help guide resuscitation and can reveal hidden hypoperfusion.

A set of time-targeted actions for suspected sepsis, such as drawing cultures, giving antibiotics, measuring lactate, and providing fluids. Bundles standardize early treatment and improve outcomes.

A severe, rapidly progressing allergic reaction that can compromise the airway, breathing, or circulation, often with skin and gastrointestinal symptoms. Intramuscular epinephrine is the first-line treatment.

Continuous seizure activity lasting five minutes or longer, or repeated seizures without recovery of consciousness. It is a medical emergency requiring immediate benzodiazepines, airway support, and a search for causes.

A group of conditions caused by sudden reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, including unstable angina and myocardial infarction. Immediate ECG, troponin, aspirin, and reperfusion decisions are time-sensitive.

A rapid, ordered check of airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure that identifies and treats immediate threats to life before any detailed examination.

A systematic head-to-toe examination and focused history performed after the primary survey and initial stabilization to find injuries that were not immediately life-threatening.

A bedside ultrasound examination that looks for free fluid in the abdomen, pelvis, and pericardium after trauma. It quickly guides resuscitation and decisions about surgery or further imaging.

A strategy for severe bleeding that emphasizes early blood products, limited crystalloid, warming, and rapid control of the bleeding source rather than large fluid volumes.

A score from 3 to 15 based on eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. It quantifies consciousness, guides triage, and helps detect neurologic deterioration over time.

Dangerous pressure buildup inside a closed muscle compartment that reduces blood flow and nerve function. Severe pain, especially with passive stretch, is an early warning sign.

Repeated checks of pulses, color, warmth, capillary refill, sensation, and movement in a limb after injury or procedure. Changes can signal compromised perfusion or nerve damage.

A coordinated technique using a sedative and a paralytic to secure the airway quickly while reducing aspiration risk. It requires preoxygenation, equipment checks, and a clear backup plan.

Giving sedative or dissociative medication to reduce anxiety and pain during a procedure while preserving airway reflexes and vital functions. Monitoring, rescue equipment, and recovery observation are required.

Continuous measurement of exhaled carbon dioxide. A sustained waveform confirms endotracheal tube placement and helps monitor ventilation during sedation and after intubation.

An unsynchronized electrical shock delivered to stop a lethal ventricular rhythm such as ventricular fibrillation. Early defibrillation is the most important intervention for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival.

Using bedside ultrasound to see a vein and guide needle insertion when traditional palpation or landmark access fails. It improves success in patients with difficult intravenous access.

A medication that blocks nerve conduction to numb a specific area for a procedure. Clinicians must know maximum safe doses and recognize signs of systemic toxicity.

Calculating medication doses and equipment sizes from a child's weight, often with a length-based tape during emergencies. Independent double-checks help prevent dangerous dosing errors.

Older adults may show confusion, weakness, falls, or poor appetite instead of classic symptoms of serious illness. A lower threshold for testing and reassessment is appropriate.

The use of multiple medications, often five or more, which increases the risk of interactions, adverse effects, and falls. Medication reconciliation is an important safety step in emergency care.

Normal adaptations such as higher blood volume, heart rate, and breathing, and lower lung residual volume, that alter baseline vital signs and laboratory values. They can mask clinical deterioration.

Fever in an infant younger than 28 days is a red flag for serious bacterial infection and usually requires a full sepsis evaluation and hospitalization.

A U.S. law requiring hospitals with emergency departments to provide a medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

The evaluation a qualified clinician performs to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists, as required before transfer or financial discussion under EMTALA.

The activities, procedures, and responsibilities a clinician is legally and professionally authorized to perform under state law and organizational policy.

An organizational approach that treats human error as a system issue while holding people accountable for reckless choices. It encourages reporting and learning from adverse events.

Holding admitted patients in the emergency department while they wait for an inpatient bed. It lengthens stays, worsens crowding, and delays care for newly arriving patients.

A communication method in which the patient explains information back in their own words. The clinician can then confirm understanding and correct any misunderstandings.

A person's ability to obtain, understand, and use health information to make decisions. Low health literacy is common and calls for plain language, pictures, and checks of understanding.

A patient-centered counseling style using open questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries to strengthen a person's own motivation for behavior change. It supports rather than directs.

A conversation in which clinician and patient compare options using the best evidence and the patient's values, preferences, and circumstances. It is useful when choices are preference-sensitive.

Practical strategies that reduce the harms of risky behavior without requiring abstinence, such as naloxone distribution or sterile syringe access. It meets people where they are.