an extra electrical conduction pathway between the atria and ventricles, anatomically separate from the *atrioventricular node, that predisposes to *re-entry tachycardia. The pathway conducts faster than the atrioventricular node, giving rise to pre-excitation recognized by a characteristic delta wave at the beginning of the QRS complex on the electrocardiogram in normal rhythm. The presence of this pathway, with the occurrence of intermittent tachycardias, is known as the *Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
The 11th cranial nerve. Unlike the other cranial nerves, most of the accessory nerve originates from the spinal cord. The small part of the nerve that originates from the brain supplies many muscles of the palate, pharynx (throat), and larynx (voice box). Damage to this part of the nerve may cause difficulty in speaking and swallowing. The spinal part of the nerve supplies large muscles of the neck and back, notably the sternomastoid and trapezius. Damage to the spinal fibres of the nerve paralyses these muscles.... accessory nerve
An agreed and explicit route an individual takes through health and social care services. Agreements between the various providers involved will typically cover the type of care and treatment, which professional will be involved and their level of skills, and where treatment or care will take place. See also “care plan”; “care programme”.... care pathway
A multidisciplinary set of daily prescriptions and outcome targets for managing the overall care of a specific type of patient, e.g. from pre-admission to post-discharge for patients receiving inpatient care. Clinical pathways are often intended to maintain or improve quality of care and decrease costs for patients in particular diagnosis-related groups.... clinical pathway
muscles of the shoulder girdle and chest wall that (in addition to the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm) are utilized during *respiratory distress to help the flow of air in and out of the lungs. Use of these muscles can be a sign of the degree of difficulty that the patient is in, for example in cases of asthma or *airway obstruction.... accessory muscles
the route that a patient takes through the health-care system, from first admission to a hospital or treatment centre to final discharge. This may consist of one or more *spells in particular hospitals and one or more *finished consultant episodes. For example, a patient admitted to a district general hospital, transferred to a tertiary hospital for a specialist procedure, and then transferred back to the district general hospital for recovery would experience one continuous patient pathway but three spells.... continuous patient pathway
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