List of medical abbreviations used by clinicians

Abbreviation

Meaning

Definitions

A.V.R.

-

Aortic Valve Replacement

AV

-

Arteriovenous

AAA

-

Abdo Aorta Aneurism

ABGs

-

Arterial blood gases

Abi

-

Ablation

ABP

-

Arterial Balloon Pump

ACS

-

Acute Coronary Syndrome

AF

-

Amniotic Fluid

AF

-

Atrial Fibrillation

AKA / BKA / TKA

-

Above / Below /Through Knee Amputation

APTR

-

Activated partial thromboplastin ratio

ARF

-

Acute Renal Failure

AS

-

Aortic stenosis

AVR

-

Aortic valve replacement

B.P.

-

Blood pressure

BCC

-

Basal Cell Carcinoma

BCs

-

Blood cultures

BD

-

Twice daily

BM

-

Blood monitoring

BG

-

Blood glucose

BPH

-

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

Ca

-

Carcinoma (Cancer)

CABG

-

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

CCF

-

Congestive Cardiac Failure

CCP

-

Central Chest Pain

CDIFF

-

Clostridium difficile

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a bacterium that is present naturally in the gut.

CFA

-

Crypt Fibrosing Alveolitis

CKD

-

Chronic Kidney Disease

CLL

-

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

CMML

-

Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

COAD

-

Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease

Coag

-

Coagulation

COPD

-

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

CRC

-

Colorectal carcinoma

CRF

-

Chronic Renal Failure.

CTS

-

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

CVA

-

Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke)

CVE

-

Cerebrovascular Event

Cx

-

Circumflex artery

CXR

-

Chest X-ray

D & V

-

Diarrhoea & Vomiting

DHS

-

Dynamic Hip Screw

DKA

-

Diabetic ketoacidosis

DM

-

Diabetes Mellitus

DT

-

Delirium Tremens (affecting heavy drinkers)

DVT

-

Deep Vein Thrombosis

ECG

-

Electro Cardiogram

ECHO

-

Echocardiogram

EMI

-

Elderly Mentally Impaired

EPS

-

Electrophysiology Studies

ERCP

-

Endoscopic rectrigrade calangio pancreatography.

ESM

-

Ejection Systolic Murmur

ETOH

-

High alcohol intake.

ETT

-

Exercise tolerance test

FBC

-

Full blood count

FLEXI-SIGMOID

-

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

A procedure in which the inside of the lower part of the large intestine is examined with a lighted scope.

GCS

-

Glasgo Coma Scale

GI

-

Gastro-intestinal

GI Bleed

-

Gastro Intestinal Bleed

GORD

-

Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disorder.

GTN

-

Gyceryl trinitrate

HB

-

Hemoglobin

HBP / LBP

-

High / Low Blood Pressure

HI

-

Head Injury

HR

-

Heart rate

HTN

-

Hypertension

IBD

-

Irritable Bowel Disease

IBS

-

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

ICD

-

Implantable cardiac defibrillator

ID

-

Infectious Disease

IDA

-

Iron deficiency anemia

IDDM

-

Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

IE

-

Infective endocarditic

IHD

-

Ischaemic Heart Disease

IM

-

Intramuscular

INR

-

International Normalised Ratio (relating to blood)

IV

-

Intravenous

IVABs

-

Intravenous antibiotics

K+

-

Potassium

LAC

-

Lacunar (type of stroke)

LAD

-

Left anterior descending

LBBB

-

Left bundle branch block

Bundle branch block (BBB) is a disruption in the normal flow of electrical pulses that drive the heart beat.

LFA

-

Left femoral artery

LFTs

-

Liver function tests

LFV

-

Left femoral vein

LMS

-

Left main stem

LRTI

-

Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

LVF or RVF

-

Left or Right Ventricular Failure

LVH

-

Left ventricular hypertrophy

MCA

-

Middle Cerebral Artery (Infact - Stroke)

The middle cerebral artery is the larger of the two terminal branches of internal carotid artery (the other being the anterior cerebral artery). It supplies most of the lateral ventricle, anterior temporal lobe, lentiform nucleus, and caudate nucleus.

MEWS

-

Modified early warning score

MI

-

Myocardial Infarction (Heart attack)

MMSE

-

Mini Mental State Examination

MND

-

Motor Neurone Disease

MRSA

-

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

MS

-

Multiple Sclerosis

MTS

-

Mental Test Score

MVR

-

Mitral value replacement

MVRep

-

Mitral valve repair

Na

-

Sodium

NAD

-

No Abnormalities Detected

NBM

-

Nil by mouth

NCP

-

Nursing care pathway

NG

Nasogastric

NIDDM

-

Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

NOF

-

Neck of Femur

NSTEMI

-

Acute myocardial infarction

O2

-

Oxygen

O2 sats

-

Oxygen saturations

OA

-

Osteo Arthritis (degeneration of joints)

Obs

-

Observations

OGD

-

Oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (Telescope examination of stomach and gullet)

OPA

-

Outpatients Appointment

OSA

-

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

P

-

Pulse

PBC

-

Primary Biliary Cirrohsis

PCI

-

Percutaneous coronary intervention

PD

-

Parkinsons Disease

PE

-

Pulmonary Embolism

PEG

-

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy

PID

-

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

PM

-

Poliomyelitis

PMR

-

Polymalgia Rheumatic

PO

-

Oral

PO

-

Pulmonary Oedema

PODs

-

Patient own drugs

POP

-

Plaster of Paris

PPM

-

Permanent Pacemaker

Pre-med

-

Pre-medication

PR Bleed

-

Per Rectum

PRN

-

As required

PS

-

Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

PVI

-

Pulmonary vein isolation

PVB

-

Premature ventricular beat

QDS

-

Four times a day

RA

-

Rheumatoid Arthritis (Inflammation of joints)

RBBB

-

Right bundle branch block

Rehab

-

Rehabilitation

RF

-

Rheumatoid factor

RFA

-

Right Femoral Artery

RFV

-

Right femoral vein

RIG

-

Radiologically Inserted Gastrostomy.

RNCC

-

Registered Nursing Care Contribution

RTI

-

Respiratory Tract Infection

RVF

-

Right Ventricular Failure

SCC

-

Spinal Cord Compression

SDAT

-

Senile Dementia of Alzheimer type

SOB

-

Shortage of breath

SOBOE

-

Shortage of breath on Exertion

TAH

-

Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

TB

-

Tuberculosis

TEE

-

Transesophageal echocardiography

TBI

-

Traumatic brain injury

THR

-

Total Hip Replacement

TFT

-

Thyroid Function Tests

TIA

-

Trans Ischaemic Attack (insufficient supply of blood to the heart - angina)

TKA

-

Through Knee Amputation

TKR

-

Total Knee Replacement

TPNS

-

Total Parenteral Nutritional Support

TSR

-

Total Shoulder Replacement

TUP

-

Trans Urethral Prostatectomy

TURP

-

Trans Urethral Resection of the Prostate.

UTI

-

Urinary Tract Infection

VF

-

Ventricular Fibrillation