suction

Definition

The invisible force that occurs when you create a pressure difference, making the atmosphere push things together like an overzealous hug. Doctors use this principle to remove fluids during surgery; toddlers use it to stick stickers to windows.

Example Usage

The suction in the surgical tubing removed excess blood, giving the surgeon a clear view of the incision.

Source: Merriam-Webster; medical and physics terminology

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hemoglobin

The iron-containing protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen in the lungs and transports it throughout the body—basically your blood's delivery service. It consists of globulin protein wrapped around haem groups with iron at their centers, turning oxygen-rich blood bright red and oxygen-poor blood darker. When hemoglobin levels drop, you get anemia; when they're fine, you get to live another day without thinking about cellular respiration.

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HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act—the federal law that makes healthcare workers paranoid about discussing anything patient-related in elevators. Also the reason your doctor's office has you sign seventeen forms before treating your cold.

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prescribed

What doctors do when they scribble illegibly on a pad to authorize your access to drugs, or what authorities do when they mandate exactly how a ritual must be performed. It's the act of laying down rules like you're Moses with the tablets, except it's usually just about taking two pills with food. Breaking from prescribed procedures is how you get compliance violations or, worse, side effects.

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Intake

The initial process of collecting every piece of information about you since birth, including questions you did not know had medical relevance like "how many flights of stairs do you climb daily?" The medical world's version of a first date questionnaire.

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respirator

A protective or life-saving device that enables breathing when normal respiration is impossible—whether due to toxic fumes, mechanical failure, or a global pandemic. The mask that separates the living from the formerly living.

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