The world of medical supplies and equipment carries with it a whole range of words and expressions that will be very alien to those unfamiliar with the industry. Here we continue our guide to some of the more widely used terms, with everything from anesthetics to a Foley catheter and beyond.

BILBAO-DOTTER TUBE – This refers to an intestinal tube which is inserted, with the assistance of a stiffening guide wire, into either the duodenum or the jejunum in order to aid the performance of various studies of gastrointestinal radiologic issues.

BiPAP – This stands for Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure, which is the name of a breathing aid that helps people to receive more air in their lungs via a mask that allows the pressure for both inhaling and exhaling to be set at different rates without the need for their own muscular efforts which would normally apply.

BIPOLAR ELECTROCAUTERY – Also commonly known as diathermy, this is one of two types of electrocautery (the other being Monopolar Electrocautery) which uses active and receiving electrodes that are placed at both sides of the area intended to be cauterized. A probe in the shape of forceps, with each tine being an electrode, is then used to perform the cauterization.

BLOOD PRESSURE – This refers to the amount of pressure being placed on the arteries by the process of pushing blood through the circulatory system, and the way this pressure is measured by the medical community. A rate of 120/80 is considered to be normal blood pressure, while a rate of 140/90 constitutes high blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension.

BONE FORCEPS – These are a very strong type of forceps specifically used for removing or otherwise taking a firm hold of pieces of bone.

BONE PLATE – This refers to a metal implant, usually quite thin, which is fixed with screws in order to immobilize damaged or fractured bone segments and allow them to properly realign.

BREAST REDUCTION – This is an outpatient surgical procedure involves the removal of unwanted fat, skin or other breast tissue, resulting in a noticeably smaller breast size for women, usually performed for reasons of either poor self esteem or due to back pain caused by the excess weight of the breasts. This procedure is also referred to as Reduction Mammoplasty.

C-ARM – This is the name of a piece of radiologic equipment which serves to intensify the images produced under x-ray, named due to the “C” shaped arc that the device makes when surrounding the C-arm table on which the procedure is carried out.