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Medical Abbreviations & Acronyms (Sortable List)
Disclaimer: This is not meant to be comprehensive and your doctor may use an acronym/abbreviation differently. You should always seek professional medical advice, or consult with your physician if you have any question and/or concern with regards to your record.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms (sort using drop downs)
Abbr | Description (Lab, Disease, Diagnosis, etc.) | Specialty | Additional Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|
A&O | Alert and Oriented | General | - |
A&Ox3 | Alert and Oriented to person, place, time | General | - |
A&Ox4 | Alert and Oriented to person, place, time, situation | General | - |
A&P | Assessment and Plan | General | - |
A1c | Glycosylated hemoglobin (estimate for diabetes) | General | Endocrinology (Hormone) |
ABG | Arterial blood gases | General | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) |
ABI | Ankle/Brachial Index | Vascular Surgery | - |
ABLA | Acute Blood Loss Anemia | General | - |
ABPA | Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis | Pulmonology (Lung) | ID (Infectious Disease) |
ABW | Actual Body Weight | General | - |
AC | Anticoagulation | General | Hematology (Blood Disorder or Cancer) |
ACA | Anterior Cerebral Artery | Neurology (Nervous System) | - |
ACE | Angiotensin converting enzyme | General | Nephrology (Kidney) |
ACEi | Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor | General | - |
ACJ | Acromioclavicular joint | General | - |
ACL | Anterior cruciate ligament | General | Orthopedics (Bone) |
ACS | Acute Coronary Syndrome | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
ACTH | Adrenocorticotropic hormone | General | - |
ACVD | Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease | General | Cardiology (Heart) |
ADD | Attention-deficit disorder | Psychiatry | - |
ADEM | Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
ADH | Antidiuretic Hormone | General | - |
ADHD | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | Psychiatry | - |
ADL | Activities of Daily Living | General | - |
ADPKD | Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease | General | - |
AED | Antiepileptic drug OR automated external defibrillator | Neurology (Nervous System) | General |
AFB | Acid fast bacilli | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
AFE | Amniotic fluid embolism | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | Pulmonology (Lung) |
AFIB / A-FIB | Atrial fibrillation | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
AFP | Alpha-fetoprotein | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | Oncology (Cancer) |
AG | Anion gap | General | - |
AH | Auditory Hallucination | Psychiatry | - |
AICD | Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
AIDS | Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
AIN | Acute interstitial nephritis | Nephrology (Kidney) | - |
AK | Actinic keratosis | Dermatology (Skin) | - |
AKA | Above Knee Amputation | Orthopedics (Bone) | - |
AKI | Acute Kidney Injury | Nephrology (Kidney) | - |
ALF | Assisted Living Facility | General | - |
ALL | Acute lymphoblastic leukemia | Hematology (Blood Disorder or Cancer) | - |
ALP | Alkaline phosphatase | General | - |
ALS | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Lou Gehrig's Disease | Neurology (Nervous System) | - |
ALT | Alanine aminotransferase | General | - |
AMA | Against medical advise; advanced materal age | General | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) |
AMD | Age-related macular degeneration | Ophthalmology (Eye) | - |
AMI | Acute myocardial infarction | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
AML | Acute myelogenous (myeloblastic) leukemia; acute myeloid leukemia | Hematology (Blood Disorder or Cancer) | - |
AMML | Acute myelomonocytic leukemia | Hematology (Blood Disorder or Cancer) | - |
AMS | Altered Mental Status | General | - |
ANA | Antinuclear antibody | General | Rheumatology (Autoimmune) |
ANC | Absolute Neutrophil Count | General | ID (Infectious Disease) |
ANCA | Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody | General | Rheumatology (Autoimmune) |
AODM | Adult onset diabetes mellitus | Endocrinology (Hormone) | - |
APGAR | appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respiration | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | - |
APLS | Antiphospholipid syndrome, OR advanced pediatric life support | Rheumatology (Autoimmune) | Pediatric |
APS | Antiphospholipid syndrome | Rheumatology (Autoimmune) | - |
APTT | Activated partial thromboplastin time | General | - |
ARB | Angiotensin receptor blocker | General | - |
ARDS | Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) | - |
ARMD | Age-related macular degeneration | Ophthalmology (Eye) | - |
ARND | Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder | Neurology (Nervous System) | Pediatric |
AROM | Active range of motion; artificial rupture of membranes | General | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) |
ARPKD | Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease | Nephrology (Kidney) | - |
ART | Antiretroviral therapy | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
AS | Angelman Syndrome; Aortic Stenosis; Ankylosing Spondylitis | General | Cardiology (Heart) |
ASA | Aspirin | General | - |
ASC-US | Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | - |
ASCVD | Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease | General | Cardiology (Heart) |
ASD | Atrial septal defect; Autism spectrum disorders | General | Neurology (Nervous System) |
ASIS | Anterior superior iliac spine | Radiology | Rheumatology (Autoimmune) |
ASO | Antistreptolysin-o titer | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
AST | Aspartate aminotransferase | General | - |
ATN | Acute tubular necrosis | Nephrology (Kidney) | - |
AV | Aaortic value; Arteriovenous | General | - |
AVB | Atrioventricular block | General | - |
AVM | Arteriovenous malformation | General | - |
AVR | Aortic valve repair; aortic valve replacement | Cardiology (Heart) | Cardiac Surgery |
AVSD | Atrioventricular septal defect | Cardiology (Heart) | Pediatric |
Abd | Abdomen | General | - |
Abn | Abnormal | General | - |
Abs | Antibodies | General | - |
Abx | Antibiotics | General | - |
AoC | Acute on Chronic | General | - |
BAL | Bronchoalveolar lavage; Blood alcohol level | Pulmonology (Lung) | General |
BBB | Blood-brain barrier; Bundle branch block | General | - |
BCC | Basal Cell Carcinoma | Oncology (Cancer) | Dermatology (Skin) |
BCG | Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccine | General | - |
BG | Blood glucose | General | - |
BGM | Blood glucose monitorin | General | - |
BIBA | Brought in by ambulance | General | - |
BID | Twice a day | Medication Dosing (Pharmacology) | - |
BKA | Below Knee Amputation | Orthopedics (Bone) | - |
BL / BIL | Bilateral | General | - |
BLE | Bilateral lower extremities | General | - |
BM | Bowel movement | General | - |
BMD | Bone mineral density; Becker muscular dystrophy | Endocrinology (Hormone) | Pediatric |
BMI | Body mass index | General | - |
BMP | Basic Metabolic Panel | General | - |
BMT | Bone marrow transplantation | Hematology (Blood Disorder or Cancer) | - |
BNP | B-type natriuretic peptide | General | Cardiology (Heart) |
BP | Blood pressure | General | - |
BPH | Benign prostatic hypertrophy | Urology (Urinary System, Surgical) | - |
BPPV | Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo | General | - |
BRAT | Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast diet | General | Gastroenterology (GI, Digestive System) |
BRBPR | Bright red blood per rectum | General | Gastroenterology (GI, Digestive System) |
BRCA | Breast Cancer Gene | Oncology (Cancer) | - |
BSA | Body surface area | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) | - |
BSE | Bovine spongiform encephalopathy | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
BSO | Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | - |
BUE | Bilateral upper extremities | General | - |
BUN | Blood urea nitrogen | General | - |
BV | Bacterial vaginosis | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | ID (Infectious Disease) |
BiPAP | Bilevel positive airway pressure | Pulmonology (Lung) | - |
Bx | Biopsy | General | - |
C&S | Culture & Sensitivity | General | ID (Infectious Disease) |
C-Spine | Cerivcal spine | General | Neurosurgery |
C/F | Concerning For | General | - |
C/O | Complains of | General | - |
C/S | Consult | General | - |
C/w | Continue with | General | - |
CA | Cancer OR Calcium | General | - |
CA-125 | Cancer antigen 125 | Oncology (Cancer) | - |
CABG | Coronary artery bypass graft | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
CAD | Coronary artery disease | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
CAGE | Cutdown, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye opener (alcohol use questions) | General | Psychiatry |
CAH | Congenital adrenal hyperplasia | General | Pediatric |
CAP | Community acquired pneumonia | General | ID (Infectious Disease) |
CAT | Computerized axial tomography | General | - |
CAUTI | Catheter-associated urinary tract infection | General | ID (Infectious Disease) |
CBC | Complete blood count | General | - |
CBD | Common bile duct | General | Gastroenterology (GI, Digestive System) |
CBI | Comtinuous bladder irrigation | Urology (Urinary System, Surgical) | - |
CBT | Coginitive Behavioral Therapy | Psychiatry | - |
CC | Chief complaint | General | - |
CCB | Calcium channle blocker | General | Cardiology (Heart) |
CCK | Cholecystokinin | Gastroenterology (GI, Digestive System) | - |
CCU | Critical Care Unit | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) | - |
CD4 | Helper T lymphocytes (white blood cell) | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
CD8 | Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (white blood cell) | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
CEA | Carcinoembryonic antigen; Carotid endarterectomy | Oncology (Cancer) | Vascular Surgery |
CF | Cystic Fibrosis | General | - |
CHADS / CHA2DS2-VAsc | Stroke Risk for Atrial Fibrillation (CHF, HTN, Age, DM, Stroke, Vasc Disease, Age, Sex) | General | Cardiology (Heart) |
CHB | Complete heart block | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
CHD | Congenital heart disease | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
CHF | Congestive heart failure | Cardiology (Heart) | - |
CIN | Contrast induced nephropathy | Nephrology (Kidney) | - |
CJD | creutzfeldt-jakob disease | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
CK | Creatine Kinase | General | - |
CKD | Chronic Kidney Disease | Nephrology (Kidney) | - |
CLABSI | Central line-associated bloodstream infection | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
CLD | Clear Liquid Diet; Chronic liver disease | General | - |
CLL | Chronic lymphocytic leukemia | Hematology (Blood Disorder or Cancer) | - |
CM | Case Manager | General | - |
CMC | Carpo metacarpal (joint) | Orthopedics (Bone) | - |
CML | Chronic myelogenous leukemia; chronic myeloid leukemia | Hematology (Blood Disorder or Cancer) | - |
CMO | Comfort measures only | General | - |
CMP | Complete Metabolic Panel (BMP + LFT) | General | - |
CMV | Cytomegalovirus | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
CNS | Central nervous system | General | - |
COPD | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Pulmonology (Lung) | - |
COWS | Clinical opiate withdrawal scale | General | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) |
CPAP | Continuous positive airway pressure. | Pulmonology (Lung) | - |
CPK | Creatine phosphokinase | General | - |
CPR | Cardiopulmonary resuscitation | ED (Emergency) | - |
CRC | Colorectal Cancer | Oncology (Cancer) | Colorectal Surgery |
CREST | Calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, esophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, telangiectasias | General | Rheumatology (Autoimmune) |
CRF | Chronic renal failure | Nephrology (Kidney) | - |
CRP | C-reactive protein | General | - |
CRRT | Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy | Nephrology (Kidney) | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) |
CRS | Colorectal Surgery; cytokine release syndrome; congenital rubella syndrome | General | Colorectal Surgery |
CRT | Cardiac resynchronization therapy; chemoradiation therapy | Cardiology (Heart) | Radiation Oncology |
CSF | Cerebrospinal fluid | General | - |
CT | Computerized axial tomography; Chest Tube | General | - |
CT/GC | Chlamydia Trachomatis/Neisseria Gonorrhea | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | ID (Infectious Disease) |
CTA(B) | Clear to auscultation (Bilaterally); CT Angiogram | General | - |
CTCL | Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma | Oncology (Cancer) | Dermatology (Skin) |
CTD | Connective tissue disease | General | - |
CTE | Chronic traumatic encephalopathy | Neurology (Nervous System) | - |
CTEPH | Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension | Pulmonology (Lung) | - |
CTS | Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Cardiothoracic Surgery | General | Cardiothoracic Surgery |
CVA | Cerebrovascular accident | Neurology (Nervous System) | - |
CVC | Central venous catheter | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) | - |
CVID | Common variable immunodeficiency | ID (Infectious Disease) | - |
CVP | Central venous pressure | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) | - |
CVS | Cyclical vomiting syndrome | General | - |
CVVH | Continuous venovenous hemofiltration | Nephrology (Kidney) | CCU/ICU (Critical/Intensive Care) |
CXR | Chest x-ray | General | - |
Cath | Catheterization | General | Cardiology (Heart) |
Coag | coagulation | General | - |
CrCl | Creatinine Clearance | General | Nephrology (Kidney) |
Cx | Culture | General | ID (Infectious Disease) |
D&C | Dilatation and curettage | Ob/Gyn (Obstetrician/Gynecologist) | - |
DC or D/C | Discontinue or Discharge | General | - |
DCIS | Ductal Carcinoma In Situ | Oncology (Cancer) | - |
DDX | Differential diagnosis | General | - |
DHT | Dobhoff Tube (a type of nasogastric tube) | General | - |
DJD | Degenerative joint disease | General | - |
DM | Diabetes mellitus | Endocrinology (Hormone) | - |
DNI | Do Not Intubate | General | - |
DNR or DNAR | Do Not (attempt) Resuscitation | General | - |
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