NRCMA Medical Terminology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The suffix '-ectomy' means:
- Surgical repair
- Surgical removal/excision (Correct answer)
- Incision into
- Visual examination
Correct answer: Surgical removal/excision
'-Ectomy' means surgical removal or excision of a structure (e.g., appendectomy = removal of the appendix).
Common surgical suffixes: -ectomy (removal), -otomy (incision), -ostomy (creating an opening), -plasty (surgical repair), -rraphy (suturing), -pexy (surgical fixation), -scopy (visual examination). Recognizing these suffixes allows identification of surgical procedures even with unfamiliar root words.
Question 2: The combining form 'cardi/o' refers to the:
- Kidney
- Liver
- Heart (Correct answer)
- Lung
Correct answer: Heart
Cardi/o is the combining form for heart, as in cardiology (study of the heart) and cardiomegaly (enlargement of the heart).
Key combining forms: cardi/o (heart), angi/o or vas/o (vessel), phleb/o or ven/o (vein), arteri/o (artery), ren/o and nephr/o (kidney), hepat/o (liver), pneum/o and pulmon/o (lung). Building fluency with combining forms allows rapid decoding of complex medical terms.
Question 3: A patient with 'dyspnea' is experiencing:
- Painful swallowing
- Difficulty breathing (Correct answer)
- Abnormal heart rhythm
- Excessive urination
Correct answer: Difficulty breathing
Dyspnea is derived from dys- (difficult/painful) + -pnea (breathing). It means labored or difficult breathing.
Pnea-based terms: dyspnea (difficult breathing), apnea (absence of breathing), orthopnea (difficulty breathing unless upright), tachypnea (rapid breathing), bradypnea (slow breathing). Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing. Dysrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm. Polyuria is excessive urination.
Question 4: The prefix 'tachy-' means:
- Slow
- Rapid/fast (Correct answer)
- Below normal
- Above normal
Correct answer: Rapid/fast
Tachy- means fast or rapid. Tachycardia is a rapid heart rate; tachypnea is rapid breathing.
Speed-related prefixes: tachy- (fast), brady- (slow). Level/degree prefixes: hyper- (above normal/excessive), hypo- (below normal/deficient). Normal adult resting heart rate is 60–100 bpm; above 100 bpm is tachycardia; below 60 bpm is bradycardia.
Question 5: The medical term 'hematuria' means:
- Blood in the stool
- Blood in the urine (Correct answer)
- Excessive menstrual bleeding
- Blood clotting disorder
Correct answer: Blood in the urine
Hematuria is composed of hemat/o (blood) + -uria (condition of urine), meaning blood in the urine.
Urine-related -uria terms: hematuria (blood), proteinuria (protein), glycosuria/glucosuria (glucose), pyuria (pus), nocturia (excessive nighttime urination). Blood in stool is hematochezia (bright red) or melena (dark, tarry). Menorrhagia is excessive menstrual bleeding.
Question 6: The abbreviation 'NPO' on a patient's chart means:
- No pain observed
- Nothing by mouth (Correct answer)
- Normal pressure observed
- Non-participatory order
Correct answer: Nothing by mouth
NPO stands for 'nil per os' (Latin: nothing by mouth) and restricts a patient from eating or drinking before a procedure or surgery.
NPO is ordered before surgeries, certain diagnostic tests, and when GI rest is needed. Modern anesthesia guidelines allow clear liquids until 2 hours before surgery for most patients. The medical assistant must ensure patients understand NPO instructions and document compliance. Violation can lead to aspiration during anesthesia.
NRCMA Medical Terminology 2
The suffix '-ectomy' means: