Clinical Diagnosis · Respiratory System · Medium
Hypercapnia
Meaning: Abnormally high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, often due to inadequate breathing.
In practice: Her arterial blood gas showed hypercapnia, so oxygen was carefully titrated in her COPD.
Word parts
- hyper- means above or more than normal
Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.
Quick check
Two questions on related clinical diagnosis words.
Which word means: A small, raised, solid skin lesion less than about one centimetre across.
Answer: Papule
Which word means: Dipstick or laboratory testing of a voided sample for blood, protein, glucose and infection markers.
Answer: Urinalysis
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