Medical Products & Devices Glossary
C
Cast: If you ever break a bone, you'll probably need a cast to hold the pieces of bone steady while they're healing. Casts wrap around the broken area and can be made out of plaster, fiberglass, or even plastic and air (called an air cast). If you get a cast, keep it away from water the entire time it's on. Even though a cast may look and feel a little clumsy, it lets your broken bone grow back together again, and that's pretty important! After you're better, the doctor will take the cast off, which doesn't hurt at all.
Contact Lenses: Contact lenses are small, thin pieces of plastic that you put in your eyes to help you see better. They're kind of like glasses, except they're right on top of your eyes. That may sound a little weird at first, but you can't see them and usually you can't feel them either. How's that for a vanishing act?
D
Disinfectants (dis-in-FEK-tents): Disinfectants are germ busters! Disinfectants, such as bleach and antibacterial soap, kill germs like bacteria and viruses. You have disinfectant cells in your body that kill germs too.
E
Electroencephalogram (ih-lek-tro-en-SEF-uh-lo-gram) or EEG: Doctors use electroencephalograms to figure out what's going on in your brain. A special machine measures your brain waves to create an EEG. No matter what you're doing (even sleeping), your brain gives off electric waves. An electroencephalogram machine measures these electric waves and shows where and how big they are. Some kids have a lot of extra electricity flowing inside their brain, which can cause things called seizures. An EEG does not hurt and it can help doctors decide how to treat someone.
G
Glucose Meter: A blood glucose meter is a small, portable machine that's used to check how much glucose (a type of sugar) is in the blood (also known as the blood glucose, or blood sugar, level). People who have diabetes often use a blood glucose meter to find out how they are doing.
Gurney: A gurney is a hospital bed with wheels that makes it easy to move patients around. Gurneys can get you to all sorts of places in a hospital — especially from an operating room to the room you'll sleep in. When you're on a gurney, someone will push it around for you, so just lie back and relax!
H
Humidifier (hyoo-MIH-deh-fy-er): If you get nosebleeds a lot or your nose often feels dry, it may be time to get a humidifier. A humidifier is a machine that makes the air around you a little wetter, so your nose and skin don't dry out as much. It gets filled with water, then pumps out a mist of moist air.
Hydrogen Peroxide (HI-dro-jen pur-OK-side): Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical that can clean your cuts and scrapes. When it's poured on a cut, it bubbles a little, making oxygen and killing germs. Your parent also may use it to clear earwax from your ear.
I
Ibuprofen (eye-byoo-PRO-fen): If you've ever had the flu, you might remember that awful achy feeling. Ibuprofen can come to the rescue when you feel that way. It's a kind of pain reliever that helps ease aches and pains. After you take ibuprofen, it keeps the nerves in your body from sending messages that say "Ow! I ache!" to your brain, so you won't hurt as much. But remember not to take any kind of medicine without your parent's help.
Inhaler (in-HAY-lur): An inhaler is a device that can get asthma medicine directly into a person's lungs. The medicine is a mist, spray, or powder that the person breathes in (inhales). In the lungs, this medicine can go right to work, opening narrowed airways (breathing tubes). When the tubes are open and clear, the person can breathe more easily, without as much coughing or wheezing. Using an inhaler takes a little practice, but many kids become experts at it. Spacers can make inhalers easier to use.
Insulin Pump (IN-suh-lin pump): A person needs the hormone insulin so their body can work as it should. If the body doesn't make enough insulin, one way to get it is through an insulin pump. Some people with diabetes use this. The pump is a small battery-operated device that can be worn on a belt or put in a pocket. It's connected to a narrow plastic tube that's inserted just under the skin and taped in place. The pump can be programmed to deliver insulin throughout the day and to release extra insulin when needed, such as after eating.
N
Nebulizer (NEH-byuh-lye-zur): A nebulizer may sound like a space gun, but you don't have to be on a spaceship to use it. A nebulizer is a machine that turns liquid medicine into a mist that can be breathed in. So it's a great way for people with asthma to get their medicine right where they need it — in their lungs. Lots of kids with asthma use nebulizers to help them breathe easier.
Night Guard: Night guards protect teeth. They're made of plastic and are like the mouth guards that football players use. You wear one when you sleep to keep you from grinding your teeth. If you grind your teeth too much, your teeth can wear down.
P
Petroleum Jelly (puh-TRO-lee-um JEL-ee): Don't put this jelly on your sandwich. Petroleum jelly is goopy, gooey, slippery stuff that's great for protecting dry, cracked skin. If your nose feels dry and itchy from a cold or allergies, a tiny bit of petroleum jelly might make if feel better and prevent a nosebleed.
Prosthesis (pros-THEE-sus): A prosthesis is a manmade body part. If someone loses an arm or a leg, or is born without an arm or leg or another part of the body, they might get a prosthesis to replace what's missing. Other kinds of prostheses include artificial heart valves and dentures.
R
Retainer (ree-TAY-ner): Your teeth won't go far, but they can move after your braces are removed. That's why you have to wear a retainer. Retainers help hold your new smile in place.
S
Spirometer (spy-RAH-meh-tur): A spirometer is an instrument that measures how well the lungs are working. To use one, a person breathes into a mouthpiece. The doctor may ask the person to breathe normally or to take a deep breath and blow the air quickly out of the lungs, like blowing up a balloon. A recording device measures the amount of air inhaled or exhaled and how much time each breath took. These measurements can help the doctor find out if the person has a lung problem, like asthma.
Syringe (suh-RINJ): A syringe is the tube with a plunger that usually connects to a needle. It is used to inject or take out fluid. A syringe holds the vaccine or medicine when you get a shot.
X
X-ray: X-rays are special pictures of the inside of your body. A doctor will decide when you need an X-ray and what body part needs to be X-rayed. An X-ray machine, not a camera, takes these pictures. When the picture comes out, doctors can see broken bones, lung infections, and more. Superman may have X-ray vision, but your doctor has an X-ray machine!