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NOTE: Definitions are listed in the order in which they appear on the STAT card. The medical definition is given first. In several instances, it's followed by a "lay interpretation," which is a more every day explanation of the term. Merriam-Webster's Online Medical Dictionary is the primary source of these definitions. However, if another source is used, it will be noted and hyperlinked alongside the definition.

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STAT: Immediately or without delay

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Vaso-occlusion: Relating to, resulting from, or caused by occlusion of a blood vessel. A vaso-occlusive crisis characteristic of sickle cell anemia. Lay interpretation: Commonly referred to as a pain crisis, this is actually what's happening during a sickle cell pain crisis due to blood vessels being blocked by sickled cells.

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ED: Emergency department or emergency room

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Opioids: A natural, semisynthetic, or synthetic substance that typically binds to the same cell receptors as opium and produces similar narcotic effects (such as sedation, pain relief, slowed breathing, and euphoria). Lay interpretation: Pain medications commonly given (administered) to relieve sickle cell pain. These could be morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl, or others.

 

Opioid tolerance: The capacity of the body to endure or become less responsive to a substance (such as a drug). Lay interpretation: Sickle cell patients who experience chronic pain and have a home regimen of opioids may require a higher dosage of pain medication to relieve acute pain.

     Chronic: Continuing or occurring again and again for a long time. 

     Acute: Characterized by sharpness or severity of sudden onset

 

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​Triage: The sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care. Lay interpretation: When you arrive in the ED, a healthcare professional takes your information and decides how urgent your need is for care and assigns you to be seen according to that assessment.

 

ESI: Emergency Severity Index. Lay interpretation: A system that ranks emergency conditions according to their seriousness and need for treatment.

     ESI = 2: High-risk situation: May become unstable, have high risk for deterioration, or exhibit newly altered mental status. Severe pain or distress is determined by patient report, corroborated with clinical observation. (Source: Emergency Index Severity Handbook 5th Edition)

 

ENA: Emergency Nurses Association. The premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing. (Source: ENA.org)

 

ACEP: American College of Emergency Physicians. "ACEP is the leading advocate for emergency physicians, their patients, and the public– in that order." (Source: ACEP.org)

 

ASH: American Society of Hematology. "The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is the world’s largest professional society of clinicians and scientists who are dedicated to conquering blood diseases. Since 1958, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology." (Source: hematology.org)

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Assess: To determine the importance, size, or value of. Lay interpretation: A healthcare professional reviews your condition to determine the course of treatment you should receive.

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Complications: A secondary disease or condition developing in the course of a primary disease or condition.

     Stroke: Sudden impairment or loss of consciousness, sensation, and voluntary motion that is caused by rupture or obstruction (as by a clot) of a blood vessel supplying the brain, and is accompanied by permanent damage of brain tissue. NOTE: Symptoms of stroke include numbness or weakness on one side of the body or face, confusion, impaired speech or vision, loss of coordination or balance, trouble walking, or severe headache. Click here for stroke symptoms and more from the American Stroke Association.

     Pulmonary embolism: Obstruction of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches that is usually produced by a blood clot which has originated in a vein of the leg or pelvis and traveled to the lungs and that is marked by labored breathing, chest pain, fainting, rapid heart rate, cyanosis, shock, and sometimes death

     Anemia: A condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells, in hemoglobin, or in total volume

     Acute chest syndrome: A severe lung-related complication of sickle cell disease that affects both children and adults. It creates a pneumonia like illness and is one of the leading causes of morbidity, hospitalizations and death in children and adults living with sickle cell disease. (Source: American Lung Association)

     Dehydration: An abnormal depletion of body fluids

 

Labs: A test (such as a blood test or urinalysis procedure) performed by a medical laboratory on a specimen taken from a patient. Lay interpretation: Blood work.

 

Fever: A rise of body temperature above the normal. Additional information: For infants and children with SCD, a fever may be the only sign of an infection. It's important for people with SCD to go to the emergency department or hospital for a fever of 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.5 Celsius or greater. (Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC))

 

Sepsis: A potentially life-threatening, systemic response of the immune system that results from the spread of pathogenic agents (such as bacteria or viruses) and their toxins to the bloodstream from a localized infection (as of the lungs), that involves both inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity, that is marked especially by fever, chills, rapid heart rate and breathing, fatigue, confusion, increased blood coagulation, hypotension, impaired microcirculation, and organ dysfunction, and that may progress to septic shock. Additional information: People with the disease have a higher risk of contracting infections that, in turn, could cause sepsis. (Source: Sepsis Alliance)

 

Bacterial infection: (Infection) The state produced by the establishment of one or more pathogenic agents (such as a bacteria, protozoans, or viruses) in or on the body of a suitable host. Additional information: Sickle cell disease (SCD) often causes spleen damage and other immune system problems. This makes people with SCD more likely to experience complications from infections. People with SCD have a higher risk of infection from certain types of bacteria, especially pneumococcus. (Source: "Infections and Sickle Cell Disease" via sickle-cell.com)

 

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IV antibiotics: Lay interpretation: An antibacterial medication administered through a vein to treat or prevent a bacterial infection.

     IV: An apparatus used to administer a fluid (as of medication, blood, or nutrients) intravenously. Lay interpretation: An IV is a needle inserted into a vein so that you can receive fluids such as, nutrients, blood, or medication.

     Antibiotics: An antibacterial substance (such as penicillin, cephalosporin, and ciprofloxacin) that is used to treat or prevent infections by killing or inhibiting the growth of bacteria in or on the body, that is administered orally, topically, or by injection, and that is isolated from cultures of certain microorganisms (such as fungi) or is of semi-synthetic or synthetic origin. Lay interpretation: An antibacterial substance given to treat or prevent infections. by killing or lowering the growth of bacteria.

 

ABX: Abbreviation for antibiotics. (Source: Wikipedia)

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SCD type: (Source for this section: Sickle Cell Disease Association of America) The types of hemoglobin a person makes in the red blood cells depend upon what hemoglobin genes the person inherits from his or her parents. Like most genes, hemoglobin genes are inherited in two sets, one from each parent. [...] The majority of individuals with sickle cell disease have hemoglobin S, but some make a different type of abnormal hemoglobin like hemoglobin C, hemoglobin D, or hemoglobin E. Also, some individuals can have sickle cell disease because of co-inheritance of beta thalassemia. It is important to speak to your physician to understand what type you have. 

     SS: Hemoglobin SS Disease

     SC: Hemoglobin SC Disease

     Other: Such as Hemoglobin D, Hemoglobin E, or Sickle Beta-Plus Thalassemia or Sickle Beta-Zero Thalassemia

 

Baseline hemoglobin: (Hemoglobin) A hemoglobin test is a blood test. It measures the amount of a protein in red blood cells called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to the body's organs and tissues when you breathe in. Then it carries the waste gas carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be breathed out. If a hemoglobin test shows that your hemoglobin level is lower than it should be, that's a sign of a condition called anemia. (Source: MayoClinic.org)

     Lay interpretation: Hemoglobin is the main substance of the red blood cell. It helps red blood cells carry oxygen from the air in our lungs to all parts of the body. Normal red blood cells contain hemoglobin A. Normal red blood cells that contain hemoglobin A are soft and round and can squeeze through tiny blood tubes (vessels). Normally, red blood cells live for about 120 days before new ones replace them. People with sickle cell conditions make a different form of hemoglobin A called hemoglobin S (S stands for sickle). Red blood cells containing mostly hemoglobin S do not live as long as normal red blood cells (normally about 16 days). (Source: Sickle Cell Disease Association of America)

     Baseline: A starting point. Lay interpretation: When you go to the doctor and have labs (blood work) done, what is your usual hemoglobin level? If you're not sure or can't remember, having an active account on your hospital or physician's web portal can be useful. Keep track of your usual or most recent hemoglobin level for comparison when you're ill.

 

Baseline pain level: (Baseline) A starting point. Lay interpretation: If you have occasional or chronic pain, what is your usual pain level on a scale of 1-10? Give yourself a baseline so that when you have an emergency room encounter you can compare your current pain level.

 

Emergency contact: The person you'd want the hospital to call about your condition. If you don't have an emergency contact or need someone to help navigate your emergency sickle cell care, please contact Sickle Cell Medical Advocacy (SCMA) at 1-888-286-0078 for assistance. 

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