4.4 Procedures

A few different forms of catheterization are used in hospitals, but one of the most common is urinary catheterization (Doyle & McCutcheon, 2020). The abbreviation for catheter is cath. Urinary catheterization is often used with patients in the hospital when they have difficulty voiding urine or are immobilized, often after surgery. Fig. 4.8 shows a type of catheter that is placed through the patient’s urethra and into the bladder. It is then attached to a bag that collects the patient’s urine (Doyle & McCutcheon, 2020).

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a controversial and misunderstood treatment for mental illness. It is in fact very safe and effective for treating various mental illnesses, including severe depression, mania, and schizophrenia (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2022). It is a useful therapy when patients have symptoms that have not responded well to medication, counselling, or any other psychosocial treatments.

Dilation and curettage (D&C) is a surgical procedure in which the cervix is dilated and a device called a curette is used to scrape the uterine lining (Stuart, 2022). It can be performed for a few reasons, such as diagnosing or treating uterine fibroids, hormonal imbalances, or cancer, and after a miscarriage.

Some women may take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to ease menopausal symptoms (Canadian Cancer Society, 2022). This is because in women of a certain age, the ovaries produce lower amounts of hormones, especially when a woman reaches menopause. HRT helps to supplement the lack of hormones.

A lap (laparotomy) scar is show in Fig. 4.10. The term laparotomy means “cutting into the abdomen,” a procedure that can be done for exploratory reasons or to remove an organ or some form of anomaly, such as a tumour.

TAH-BSO (total abdominal hysterectomy-bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) is a complex medical term; however, if you look at the word parts, you can understand what procedure is being completed—”removal of” (-ectomy) something, and the combining forms (hyster/o, salping/o, and oophor/o) in the terms make it clear what is being removed. The surgery is removal of the uterus, both fallopian tubes, and both ovaries.

Vital signs (VS) are a combination of various medical assessments, including blood pressure, temperature, pulse, pulse oximetry, and breathing rate (Doyle & McCutcheon, 2020). Depending on the patient’s condition and hospital unit, vital signs can also include neurological vital signs, pain measurement, circulation, and other factors that may be relevant (Doyle & McCutcheon, 2020).

Radiation therapy (XRT), as shown in Fig. 4.11, can be used to treat various forms of cancer as well as some other pathologies.