Here is the list of commonly used medical abbreviations which is definitely gonna help you in understanding the terms used by medical professionals especially in prescriptions given by doctors or pharmacists as well as many abbreviations are used in the Investigation Forms that has to be performed in the diagnostic laboratories. By this, you can easily understand what do they exactly mean and serve better to the patients…
| ABBREVIATIONS | MEANING |
|---|---|
| A&P | Anatomy and Physiology |
| abd | Abdomen |
| ABG | Arterial Blood Gas |
| ac | Before Meals |
| ACLS | Advanced Cardiac Life Support |
| ad lib | As much as desired |
| ADL | Activity of Daily Living |
| AED | Automated External Defibrillator |
| AF | Atrial Fibrillation |
| AIDS | Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome |
| AK | Above the Knee |
| AKA | Above the Knee Amputation |
| A-line | Arterial Line |
| AMA | Against Medical Advice |
| amb | Ambulatory |
| AMI | Acute Myocardial Infarction |
| AMS | Altered Mental Status |
| ant | Anterior |
| AO × 4 | Alert and Oriented to Person, Place, Time, and Self |
| AP | Anteroposterior, front-to-back, action potential, angina pectoris, anterior pituitary, arterial pressure |
| APC | Atrial Premature Complex, Activated Protein C, aspirinphenacetin-caffeine |
| Aq | Water |
| ARDS | Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome |
| ASA | Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic Acid) |
| ASAP | As Soon As Possible |
| ASHD | Arteriosclerotic or Atherosclerotic Heart Disease |
| AV, A-V | Atrioventricular, Arteriovenous |
| BBB | Bundle Branch Block |
| Bid | Twice Daily |
| BKA | Below the Knee Amputation |
| BM | Bowel Movement |
| BP | Blood Pressure |
| BS | Blood Sugar, Breath Sounds, Bowel Sounds |
| BSA | Body Surface Area |
| bx | Biopsy |
| Ca | Calcium |
| CA | Cancer, Cardiac Arrest, Chronologic Age, Coronary Artery, Cold Agglutinin |
| CABG | Coronary Artery Bypass Graft |
| CAD | Coronary Artery Disease |
| CBC | Complete Blood Count |
| cc | Cubic Centimeter |
| CC or C/C | Chief Complaint |
| CCU | Coronary Care Unit |
| CHF | Congestive Heart Failure |
| CNS | Central Nervous System |
| c/o | Complaining of |
| COLD | Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease |
| COPD | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
| CP | Chest Pain, Chemically Pure, Cerebral Palsy |
| CPR | Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation |
| CRNA | Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist |
| CRT | Capillary Refill Time |
| CSF | Cerebrospinal Fluid |
| CSM | Carotid Sinus Massage, Cerebrospinal Meningitis |
| CVA | Cerebrovascular Accident |
| CVP | Central Venous Pressure |
| CXR | Chest X-Ray |
| D&C | Dilation and Curettage |
| D/C | Discontinue |
| DM | Diabetes Mellitus |
| DOA | Dead On Arrival |
| DOE | Dyspnea on Exertion |
| DON | Director of Nursing |
| DPT | Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus toxoids vaccine |
| DSD | Dry Sterile Dressing |
| DtaP | Diphtheria, Tetanus toxoids, and Acellular Pertussis vaccine |
| DTP | Diphtheria, Tetanus toxoids, and Pertussis vaccine |
| DVT | Deep Venous Thrombosis |
| Dx | Diagnosis |
| ECG | Electrocardiogram |
| ED | Emergency Department |
| ENT | Ears, Nose, and Throat |
| ER | Emergency Room |
| ET | Endotracheal Tube, Endotracheal |
| ETA | Estimated Time of Arrival |
| ETT | Endotracheal Tube |
| FBS | Fasting Blood Sugar |
| FHR | Fetal Heart Rate |
| FHT | Fetal Heart Tones |
| FHx | Family History |
| fld | Fluid |
| fx | Fracture |
| GB | Gallbladder |
| GI | Gastrointestinal |
| GSW | Gunshot Wound |
| GTT | Glucose Tolerance Test |
| GU | Genitourinary |
| Gyn | Gynecology |
| H&H | Hemoglobin and Hematocrit |
| H&P | History and Physical |
| H/A | Headache |
| Hct | Hematocrit |
| Hgb | Hemoglobin |
| HH | Hiatal Hernia |
| HIV | Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
| HPI | History of present Illness |
| Hs | At Bedtime |
| HTN | Hypertension |
| Hx | History |
| I&O | Intake and Output |
|---|---|
| IC | Intracardiac, Inspiratory capacity, Irritable colon |
| ICP | Intracranial Pressure |
| ICU | Intensive Care Unit |
| IDDM | Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus |
| IM | Intramuscular |
| IPPB | Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing |
| IUD | Intrauterine (Contraceptive) Device |
| IV | Intravenous |
| JVD | Jugular Venous Distention |
| KUB | Kidneys, Ureters, and Bladder |
| KVO | Keep Vein Open |
| LAC | Laceration, Laparoscopic Assisted Colectomy |
| LE | Lower Extremity, Left Eye, Lupus Erythematosus |
| LLL | Left Lower Lobe of the Lung |
| LLQ | Left Lower Quadrant of the Abdomen |
| LMP | Last Menstrual Period |
| LOC | Level of Consciousness, Loss of Consciousness |
| LPN | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| LR | Lactated Ringer’s |
| LUL | Left Upper Lobe of the Lung |
| LUQ | Left Upper Quadrant of the Abdomen |
| LVN | Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| MAE | Moves all extremities |
| MAEW | Moves All Extremities Well |
| MAP | Mean Arterial Pressure |
| MCL | Midclavicular Line, Modified Chest Lead |
| MI | Myocardial Infarction |
| MICU | Mobile Intensive Care Unit, Medical Intensive Care Unit |
| MRI | Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
| MVA | Motor Vehicle Accident |
| MVC | Motor Vehicle Crash |
| MVP | Mitral Valve Prolapse |
| NAD | No Apparent Distress, No Appreciable Disease |
| NC | Nasal Cannula |
| NG | Nasogastric |
| NICU | Neonatal Intensive Care Unit |
| NIDDM | non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus |
| NKDA | No Known Drug Allergies |
| NPA | Nasopharyngeal Airway |
| NS | Normal Saline |
| NSR | Normal Sinus Rhythm |
| N/V | Nausea and Vomiting |
| N/V/D | Nausea, Vomiting, and Diarrhea |
| OBS | Organic Brain Syndrome |
| OD | Overdose, Right Eye, Optical Density, Outside Diameter, Doctor of Optometry |
| OPA | Oropharyngeal Airway |
| OS | Left Eye |
| OU | Both Eyes |
| PE | Pulmonary Embolism, Physical Examination |
| PEA | Pulseless Electrical Activity |
| PEARL | Pupils Equal and Reactive to Light |
| PEEP | Positive end Expiratory Pressure |
| PERRL | Pupils Equal, Round, and Reactive to Light |
| PID | Pelvic Inflammatory Disease |
| PND | Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea |
| PSVT | Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia |
| PTA | Prior to admission, Plasma Thromboplastin Antecedent |
| PTT | Partial Thromboplastin Time |
| PVC | Premature Ventricular Complex |
| PVD | Peripheral Vascular Disease |
| RA | Rheumatoid Arthritis, Right Atrium |
| RAD | Reactive Airway Disease, Right Axis Deviation |
| RBC | Red Blood Cell |
| Rh | Rhesus blood factor |
| RHD | Rheumatic Heart Disease |
| RLL | Right Lower Lobe of the Lung |
| RLQ | Right Lower Quadrant of the Abdomen |
| RUL | Right Upper Lobe of the Lung |
| RUQ | Right Upper Quadrant of the Abdomen |
| Rx | Prescription |
| SC | Subcutaneous, Secretory component |
| SICU | Surgical Intensive Care Unit |
| SIDS | Sudden Infant Death Syndrome |
| SL | Sublingual |
| SOB | Shortness of Breath |
| S/S | Signs and Symptoms |
| STD | Sexually Transmitted Disease |
| SVT | Supraventricular Tachycardia |
| Sx | Symptoms |
| tab | Tablet |
| TB | Tuberculosis |
| TBA | To be Admitted, To be Announced |
| Tech | Technician, Technologist |
| TIA | Transient Ischemic Attack |
| TPR | Temperature, Pulse, Respiration |
| Tx | Treatment |
| UA | Urinalysis |
| UE | Upper Extremity |
| URI | Upper Respiratory Infection |
| UTI | Urinary Tract Infection |
| VD | Venereal Disease |
| VS | Vital Signs |
| WNL | Within Normal Limits |
| w/o | Without |
Hi, I’m the Founder and Developer of Paramedics World, a blog truly devoted to Paramedics. I am a Medical Lab Tech, a Web Developer and Bibliophiliac. My greatest hobby is to teach and motivate other peoples to do whatever they wanna do in life.
THANK YOU MR.
Most Welcome 🙂
Have you ever seen a small c (or capital C) with a bar (-) over it?
Do they use it anymore?