| Medical
Malpractice Legal Glossary
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Acetaminophen: A medication
effective for relieving mild pain and fever. It is also used as a
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.
Accolate: Medicine prescribed for
prophylaxis and treatment of chronic asthma in patients 12 years and
older. Has shown to cause liver dysfunction, particularly in females.
Accutane: A brand of prescription
medicine used to treat severe nodular acne that has not responded to
other treatments such as antibiotics. Accutane may cause serious side
effects, including birth defects and mental disorders.
Addiction: A physiological and
psychological compulsion for a habit-forming substance. In extreme
cases, an addiction may become an overwhelming obsession.
Adjudicate: To decide a legal
case.
Affidavit: A voluntary statement
or declaration of facts that has been written down and confirmed under
oath.
Agonist Opioid: A powerful type of
narcotic that works by blocking signals to pain receptors in the brain.
This process also raises the level of dopamine in the brain, creating a
feeling of euphoria.
Allegation: A statement made in a
pleading by one of the parties to the action and tells what that party
intends to prove.
Analgesic: Generic term for
medications that relieve pain. Some analgesics like aspirin have a low
pain-relieving threshold, whereas others like Oxycodone have a much
higher ceiling.
Anesthesia Injury: An injury
sustained from incorrectly administered anesthetics.
Answer: Written response in which
the defendant admits or denies the allegations contained in the
complaint.
Antidepressants: A type of drug
used to control or reduce depression. Some antidepressants have been
found to have serious side effects.
Apgar Score: When a child is born,
a physician will take note of his or her activity - muscle tone, pulse,
grimace, reflex irritability, appearance, skin color, and respiration.
These observations are made once immediately following birth and once
five minutes later. A score of zero to ten is then calculated. A low
score alerts a doctor that resuscitation may be necessary and a high
score reassures a doctor that the baby is healthy.
Arava: An oral medicine prescribed
to slow the progress of rheumatoid arthritis. Aravaź may cause liver
dysfunction and birth defects.
Arbitration: A process for
deciding a legal dispute without having to go to court.
Assumption of risk: A defendant's
allegation that the injured plaintiff recognized the danger of the
plaintiff's course of action but, nonetheless, willingly chose to risk
such danger.
Asbestos: A fibrous silicate
mineral that was once commonly used in construction. People who have
been exposed to asbestos over a period of time may develop asbestosis,
mesothelioma, and lung cancer.
Asbestosis: A disease that
afflicts people who have been exposed asbestos fibers. Scar tissue
builds up in the lungs, causing breathing difficulty and an increased
risk of infection. Ataxia: Jerky, uncoordinated movements.
Athetosis: Involuntary movements -
uncontrolled/unwanted movements.
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