Decubitus

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Commonly used in medicine, the word decubitus is used to mean "lying down". It originates from the Latin term decumbere meaning "to lie down". The term is related to the Latin cubitum, which means elbow. This is because of the Roman tendency to lean upon their elbows when resting. [1]

For a medical professional to use this term to describe the position of a patient, they first state the part of the body on which the patient is resting followed by the term decubitus. For example, the right lateral decubitus would imply that the patient is lying on their right side. [2]

In Radiology, this term implies that the patient is lying down with the X-ray being taken parallel to the horizon. [3]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ MedTerms.com definition of decubitus
  2. ^ Quia Directional Terms and Body Positions
  3. ^ Indiana University powerpoint presentation on positioning terms
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