Medical Terminologies and The Respiratory System
Medical terminologies should be pronounced appropriately to avert confusion. All syllables representing the prefix, root, suffix, or combing form should be well articulated to accomplish this. This paper discusses the word root, prefix, and suffix, combining forms and describes the respiratory system.
Part A
The root gives the word its fundamental meaning. In medical terminology, the root identifies the specific body part or function represented by the word (Kent.edu, n.d.). The root word can be modified using both prefixes and suffixes to alter the meaning of the word. For instance, the root of the medical term pericarditis is “card”, which means the heart. This root can be modified to get words such as bradycardia or tachycardia, whose definitions differ from the initial medical term (pericarditis). A compound word results from the combination of two root words (Kent.edu, n.d.). An example of a compound word is a psychopath. In this context, the root words are “psych” and “path”. A combining form results when a vowel is added to the root of a word (Kent.edu, n.d.). The combing form links two root words or joins a root word to a suffix (Kent.edu, n.d.). For instance, “o” is the combining form of the word “psychopath”.
Moreover, Kent.edu (n.d.) reports that a prefix word is placed before a root word or a combining form. It alters the definition of a medical word by providing additional information about the word root (Kent.edu, n.d.). However, it does not alter the definition of the root and combining from (Kent.edu, n.d.). For instance, the prefix of the medical term pericarditis is “peri”, which means the surrounding. On the other hand, Kent.edu (n.d.) reports that a suffix word is placed at the end of the root or combining form. It alters the use and definition of a medical word. For instance, it can determine whether the medical term is an adjective or noun. The suffix in the medical term necrosis (a noun) is “osis”, whereas the suffix in necrotic (an adjective) is “tic”.
Part B
Phonetic pronunciation guides communication by emphasizing specific letters and syllables. It provides an invaluable benefit to people who want to learn a new language and those who are required to pronounce complex terms (Priya & Prasantha Kumar, 2020). This is relevant to the healthcare sector because medical terminology comprises complex words that should be pronounced accurately to avoid confusion. Regarding medical terminology, phonetic pronunciation helps healthcare providers pronounce and stress certain words via tonal variation (such as vowels that should be prolonged in a word) to convey the correct meaning (Priya & Prasantha Kumar, 2020). In this context, medical dictionaries should be used to identify primary accents, diacritics, and secondary accents.
Incorrect pronunciation of medical terms alters their meaning. Examples of such words include enuresis, anuresis, infusion, and effusion. Firstly, enuresis refers to urinary incontinence that is characterized by involuntary emptying of the urinary bladder (von Gontard, 2019). On the other hand, anuresis is a medical emergency characterized by the inability to urinate (von Gontard, 2019). Secondly, infusion entails administering medications or fluids into the bloodstream. On the other hand, effusion entails the build-up of fluid in the pleura (Gayen, 2022).
Mispronunciation of the aforementioned medical terms impacts patient care. To begin with, it may lead to misdiagnosis. Misdiagnosis implies that incorrect treatment plans will be formulated (Márquez-Hernández et al., 2019). Consequently, this will lead to poor patient outcomes, lower patient safety, and increased morbidity and mortality rates. Also, misdiagnosis impedes a holistic and patient-centred healthcare approach. For instance, if enuresis is mispronounced as anuresis, the patient may be subjected to unnecessary catheterization. Secondly, mispronunciation of medical terms increases healthcare costs. Patients will incur additional costs to manage the impact of medical errors caused by mispronunciation. Thirdly, mispronouncing medical terms lowers patient satisfaction levels with the quality of healthcare services. Patents are likely to select other facilities whose reputation demonstrates a history of proper pronunciation and a low incidence of medical errors.
Part C
One major system I learned about is the respiratory system. The respiratory system consists of various organs. These organs include the lungs, trachea, bronchioles, bronchi, pharynx, alveoli, nose, and nasal cavities and muscles (Basil et al., 2020). These organs work in concert to control the process of inspiration and expiration.
Air Passages
During breathing, air enters through the nose to the nasal cavities and the pharynx, where the air is warmed and moistened. The air is channelled via the trachea to the bronchi, bronchioles, and then the terminal bronchioles. These four organs (trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and terminal bronchioles) form the conducting zone of the respiratory system (Basil et al., 2020). After that, the air is channelled to the respiratory zone, which consists of respiratory bronchioles, to the alveolar ducts and then the alveolar sacs (Basil et al., 2020). Gaseous exchange occurs in the respiratory zone. This zone has numerous divisions that increase the surface area for gaseous exchange. Essentially, the large surface area reduces the velocity of air to permit gaseous exchange. Pulmonary capillaries surround the alveoli. It is estimated that each person has three hundred million alveoli that occupy a total area of about seventy square meters (Basil et al., 2020).
Lungs, Chest Wall, and Respiratory Muscles
Lungs are elastic and are separated from the chest wall by the pleural fluid. The diaphragm is a respiratory muscle that plays a key role in quiet inspiration (Basil et al., 2020). The muscle is attached to the thoracic cage, vertebral ligaments, and central tendon. It accounts for about seventy-five per cent of the increase in intrathoracic volume. Other than the diaphragm, the other muscles that facilitate inspiration are the external intercostal muscles (EIM) (Basil et al., 2020). These muscles contract to elevate the ribs and increase chest diameter. The diaphragm and the EIM provide appropriate ventilation at rest. Accessory muscles such as the scalene play a key role in laboured breathing (Basil et al., 2020). They accomplish this by elevating the thoracic cage to facilitate breathing. Expiratory muscles contract to lower intrathoracic volume. Examples of these muscles include the rectus abdominis and the internal intercostal (Basil et al., 2020).
Inspiration and Expiration
Inspiration begins when the inspiratory muscles are contracted to increase the intrathoracic volume. A decrease succeeds this in intrapleural pressure, which expands the lungs, creates a negative pressure in the airways, and allows air to be conducted into the lungs (Basil et al., 2020). This process ends when the lung recoil pulls the chest wall to its expiratory posture. This creates positive pressure in the airways and allows air to be expelled from the lungs.
Illnesses of the Respiratory System
Illnesses of the respiratory system include asthma and emphysema. Asthma is an airway obstructive disease. It is characterized by reversible obstruction of the airway, inflammation of the airway, and hype-responsiveness (Cevhertas et al., 2020). Airway inflammation is mediated by infiltration by eosinophils and macrophages (Cevhertas et al., 2020). Obstruction of the airways is mediated by the formation of mucous plugs, airway oedema, and remodelling that promotes bronchoconstriction (Cevhertas et al., 2020). Hyperventilation develops as a compensatory mechanism to avert hypoxia.
Emphysema is a restrictive disease of the airway. The disease presents with diminished lung elasticity (Hisata et al., 2021). Furthermore, there is scarring during which alveoli sacs are replaced with large air sacs. Diminished elasticity impedes lung expansion and recoil, which plays a significant role during breathing (Hisata et al., 2021). The disease has been linked to chronic smoking. Smoking activates macrophages and leukocytes that release proteases such as elastase (Hisata et al., 2021). These proteases destroy the elastic tissue found in the lungs. Furthermore, leukocytes release oxygen radicals that inhibit alpha-1 antitrypsin, an important antiprotease (Hisata et al., 2021).
References
Basil, M. C., Katzen, J., Engler, A. E., Guo, M., Herriges, M. J., Kathiriya, J. J., & Morrisey, E. E. (2020). The cellular and physiological basis for lung repair and regeneration: past, present, and future. Cell Stem Cell, 26(4), 482-502. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=k0XpDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=respiratory+system+physiology&ots=-qC4eZsqrb&sig=WekGn57dv465I8bpfBg8H3KXWrU&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=respiratory%20system%20physiology&f=false
Cevhertas, L., Ogulur, I., Maurer, D. J., Burla, D., Ding, M., Jansen, K., Koch, J., Liu, C., Ma, S., Mitamura, Y., Peng, Y., Radzikowska, U., Rinaldi, A. O., Satitsuksanoa, P., Globinska, A., van de Veen, W., Sokolowska, M., Baerenfaller, K., Gao, Y. dong, … Akdis, C. A. (2020). Advances and recent developments in asthma in 2020. Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 75(12), 3124–3146. https://doi.org/10.1111/all.14607
Gayen, S. (2022). Malignant Pleural Effusion: Presentation, Diagnosis, and Management. American Journal of Medicine, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.04.017
Hisata, S., Racanelli, A. C., Kermani, P., Schreiner, R., Houghton, S., Palikuqi, B., Kunar, B., Zhou, A., McConn, K., Capili, A., Redmond, D., Nolan, D. J., Ginsberg, M., Ding, B. Sen, Martinez, F. J., Scandura, J. M., Cloonan, S. M., Rafii, S., & Choi, A. M. K. (2021). Reversal of emphysema by restoration of pulmonary endothelial cells. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 218(8). https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20200938
Kent.edu. (n.d.). Medical Terminology. https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/file/Section-I-Introduction.pdf?VersionId=5JGg9cKorHn_xIFQhZvHBR2QbvcbIaJA
Márquez-Hernández, V. V., Fuentes-Colmenero, A. L., Cañadas-Núñez, F., Di Muzio, M., Giannetta, N., & Gutiérrez-Puertas, L. (2019). Factors related to medication errors in the preparation and administration of intravenous medication in the hospital environment. PLoS ONE, 14(7), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220001
Priya, M. L. S., & Prasantha Kumar, N. S. (2020). Teaching phonetics to enhance pronunciation in an ESL classroom. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(2), 669–672. https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.02.121
von Gontard, A. (2019). Diagnose und Behandlung der Enuresis und der funktionellen Harninkontinenz tagsüber. Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 116(16), 279–285. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2019.0279.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question 
In Lessons 1 through 4, you learned foundational information on medical terminology and the organization of the body. In addition, the medical language associated with the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, digestive, cardiovascular, blood and lymphatic, respiratory, and nervous systems was discussed. The concepts learned from Lessons 1-4 will be applied to this written assignment. Please review the learning objectives for Lessons 1-4 before beginning work on this assignment.
Medical Terminologies and The Respiratory System
In a four-page summary, address the following questions.
Part A: Discuss word root, prefix, suffix, and combining form in relation to determining the meaning of medical terms.
Part B: Explain how the phonetically spelt pronunciation guide aids you in pronouncing medical words or phrases correctly. Give at least 3 examples of medical words that would have a different meaning if pronounced incorrectly. What effect could mispronouncing these 3 words have on patients?
Part C: Choose one of the major systems you learned about in Lessons 1 through 4. In your own words, describe the major organs within that system, how they work together to perform the major functions of the system, and at least 2 illnesses related to the system.