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pressor

pressor

4 9.9
A substance that narrows blood vessels to raise blood pressure
  • noun
  • /ˈprɛsər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vasopresor
  • I'm on call when she gets septic, and she's septic to the point that I'm pushing pressors on labor and delivery trying to keep her blood pressure up, and I have her on a cooling blanket because she's 106 degrees.
  • cold pressor
  • pressor task
  • pressor test

Hospital saved his life but because of the pressors he went on to send blood to his heart.

Examples

  • To manage the patient's shock, the nurse prepared to give a pressor to increase his blood pressure.

  • Hospital saved his life but because of the pressors he went on to send blood to his heart.

  • The doctor administered a pressor to help stabilize the patient's low blood pressure during the surgery.

  • In emergencies, medical teams often use a pressor to constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure quickly.

Synonyms

vasopressor
vspressor
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A drug that makes blood vessels get smaller and raises blood pressure

is used broadly and not limited to clinical settings
vasoconstrictor
vspressor
  • Specialized
1 7.3

Something, like a drug, that makes blood vessels narrow and raises blood pressure

says the blood pressure increase is definite rather than often
vasoconstrictive
vspressor
  • Specialized
8.8

A substance that makes blood vessels narrower and raises blood pressure

focuses on raising blood pressure rather than only vessel narrowing
angiotonin
vspressor
  • Specialized
9.1

A chemical that makes blood vessels narrower and raises blood pressure

is a general category covering many substances not a single named one

Surface Forms

pressor singular
pressors plural

Morphology

pressor = press (semi-transparent) = press + or

Built from 'press' + agentive '-or'; the agentive sense is clear but the application to 'raising blood pressure' is a specialized medical usage.

Etymology

The word pressor comes from an old Latin word that means 'to press', the same root as press and pressure. A pressor is a substance or agent that 'presses' the blood vessels, so it raises blood pressure.