Short for catheter, a thin medical tube inserted into the body to drain fluids, deliver medicine, or diagnose conditions.
Abbreviated form of 'catheter,' from Greek 'katheter' meaning something that is let down or inserted. The Greek root combines 'kata-' (down) and '-hienai' (to send).
Cardiac catheterization—threading a tube into the heart's blood vessels—sounds terrifying but revolutionized heart disease diagnosis; it's one of the most important medical procedures invented, winning its developers a Nobel Prize.
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