Medical Abbreviations & Hieroglyphs
Below you can find a list of abbreviations used in medicine.
| +++ | Much / many / present in excess | |
| # | Fracture | |
| ∆ | Diagnosis | |
| Diff ∆ or ∆∆ | Differential diagnosis | |
| Px | Nil / nothing / no | |
| J° | No jaundice | |
| ↑ | Up / increasing | |
| N, → | Down, decreasing | |
| ┴ | Central (of the trachea) | |
| 1/7 | One day | |
| 2/52 | Two weeks | |
| 3/12 | 3 months | |
| T38.6° | Temperature 38.6 | |
| T-14 | Term (ie baby’s due date) less 2 weeks | |
| T+7 | Term plus 1 week | |
| 35+4/40 | 35 weeks & 4 days | |
| 37+3/40 | 37 weeks and 3 days | |
| = | Equivalent to | |
| 3 | OK or satisfactory | |
| AAL | Anterior axillary line | |
| ABG | Arterial Blood Gas (also ‘SATs) | Blood test to see how much oxygen there is in the blood (percentage saturation with oxygen) |
| ACTH | Adrenocorticotropic hormone | |
| AE | Air entry | |
| AF | Atrial Fibrillation | Irregular heartbeat |
| AFB | Acid fast bacillus 9tbO | |
| AFP | Alpha-fetoprotein | Maternal serum and occasionally amniotic fluid levels tested in pregnancy to screen for neural tube defect in fetus |
| AJ | Ankle jerk | Reflex; see also BJ, KJ, SJ, TJ |
| Anti-D | Type of gamma globulin | Must be given by injection to Rhesus negative mother who delivers/aborts Rhesus positive baby to prevent mother developing antibodies which could damage a subsequent Rhesus positive baby. |
| Apgar | Apgar score | Means of recording baby’s condition at birth by observing and scoring (0, 1 or 2) 5 parameters |
| A/V | Anteverted | |
| Bd / bid | Twice a day | |
| BJ | Biceps jerk | Hitting the arm with a patella hammer to test reflexes |
| BNF | British National Formulary | Prescriber’s bible supplied free to all NHS doctors. New edition each year. |
| BO | Bowels open | |
| BNO | Bowels not opened | |
| BOR | Bowels opened regularly | |
| BP + date | British Pharmacopoeia | |
| BP | Blood pressure | |
| BPd | Diastolic Blood Pressure | The lower blood pressure (heart relaxed) |
| BPs | Systolic Blood Pressure | The higher blood pressure (heart contracted) |
| BS | Breath sounds | |
| Bowel sounds | ||
| Blood sugar | ||
| C | With (Latin, cum) | |
| C2H5OH | Alcohol | |
| Ca | (a) Carcinoma / cancer | |
| (b) Calcium | ||
| Caps | Capsules | |
| CAT scan | Computed axial tomograph | |
| CNS | Central nervous system | |
| CFS | Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Also called ME |
| CO | Complaining of | |
| CO2 | Carbon Dioxide | |
| COETT | Cuffed oral endotracheal tube (see COT & ETT) |
|
| COT | Cuffed oral tube | Endotracheal tube used for ventilating a patient who cannot breath unaided |
| CPD | Cephalo-pelvic disproportion | Baby too big to fit through pelvis |
| CRP | C-reactive protein | |
| CSF | Cerebro-spinal fluid | |
| CT or CAT | Computerised Axial Tomography | Body Scan |
| CTG | Cardiotacograph | Trace during labour of baby’s heart and mum’s contractions |
| CVA | Cardio-vascular accident | Stroke |
| CVS | Cardio-vascular system | |
| Cx | Cervix or cervical spine | |
| CXR | Chest X-ray | |
| DH | Drug history | |
| DNA | (a) Did not attend | |
| (b) Deoxyribonucleic acid | ||
| DNR | Do not resuscitate | |
| D & V | Diarrhoea and vomiting | |
| DOA | Dead on arrival | |
| DVT | Deep vein thrombosis | |
| Dx | Diagnosis | |
| EGG | Electro-cardiogram | Electric heart recording |
| ECT | Electro-convulsive therapy | |
| EDC | Expected date of confinement | |
| EDO | Expected date of delivery | |
| EEC | Electroencephalogram | Brain scan |
| ENT | Ear, nose & throat | |
| ERCP | Endoscopic retrograde choledochopancreatico/graphy/scopy |
|
| ERPC | Evacuation of retained products of conception |
|
| ESR | Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (blood) | |
| EtOH | Another code for alcohol | |
| ETT | Endotracheal tube | |
| FBC | Full blood count | |
| FBS | Full blood sampling (carried out during labour to check baby’s condition) |
|
| FH | Family history | |
| FHH | Fetal heart heard | |
| FHHR | Fetal heart heard regular | |
| FHR | Fetal heart rate | |
| FLK | Funny looking kid | |
| FMF | Fetal movements felt | |
| FROM | Full range of movement | |
| FSE | Fetal scalp electrode | |
| FSH | (a) Family and social history
(b) Follicle stimulating hormone |
(a) Family and social history |
| FTT | Failure to thrive | |
| Fx | Fracture | |
| GA | General anaesthetic | |
| GCS | Glasgow Coma Scale | |
| GFR | Glomerular filtration rate | |
| GIT | Gastro-intestinal tract | |
| GTT | Glucose tolerance test | |
| GUT | Genito-urinary tract | |
| Hb | Haemoglobin | |
| HBP | High Blood Pressure | |
| HNPU | Has not passed urine | |
| HPC | History of presenting complaint | |
| HR | Heart rate | |
| HS | Heart sounds | |
| HVS | High vaginal swab | |
| Hx | History | |
| ICS | Intercostal space | Usually as xICS, where x= a number from 1 to 11 |
| IJ | Internal jugular vein | |
| IM | Intramuscular | |
| IVI | Intravenous infusion (drip) | |
| JVP | Jugular vein pressure | |
| K | Potassium | |
| KJ | Knee jerk | |
| kPa | Kilopascal, approximately 7.5mmHg | |
| L | Litre | |
| LA | Local anaesthetic | |
| LFTs | Liver function tests | Blood tests for liver function |
| LIH | Left inguinal hernia | |
| LMP | Last menstrual period | |
| LN | Lymph node | |
| LOA | Left occiput anterior | Position of baby’s head at delivery; see also LOP, ROA, ROP |
| LOC | Loss of consciousness | |
| LOL | Left occipitolateral | |
| LOP | Left occiput posterior | |
| LSCS | Lower segment caesarian section | The “normal” type of caesarian |
| LSKK | Liver, spleen and kidneys | |
| Mcg | Microgram | |
| MCL | Midclavicular line | An imaginary line down the body from the middle of the collarbone to the described area |
| MCV | Mean corpuscular volume | A measure of the size of red blood cells |
| ME | Myalgic Encephalomyletis | Also called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome |
| Μg | Microgram | |
| mg | Milligram | |
| MI | Myocardial Infarction | |
| mist | Mixture | |
| ml | Millilitre | |
| mmHg | Millimetres of mercury (pressure) | |
| mMol | Millimole | |
| MRI | Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Body / Brain scan |
| N & V | Nausea and vomiting | |
| Na | Sodium | |
| NaCHO3 | Sodium bicarbonate | Alkaline substance; inter alia given to counteract metabolic acidosis following oxygen deprivation |
| NAD | Nothing abnormal diagnosed / detected | |
| NAI | Non-accidental Injury | |
| NBM | Nil by mouth | |
| NBI | No bone injury | |
| NFR | Not for resuscitation | |
| ng | Nanogram | |
| NG | Carcinoma (neoplastic growth) | |
| NLM | Nice looking mother | |
| NMCS | No malignant cells seen | |
| NOF | Neck of femur | |
| N/S | Normal size | |
| O2 | Oxygen | |
| OA | Occipito-anterior | |
| o.d | Once a day | |
| OE | On examination | |
| Om | In the morning | |
| On | At night | |
| OP | Occipito-posterior | |
| P | Pulse | |
| Π | Period | |
| Pco2 | Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (normally in blood) |
|
| PERLA | Pupils are equal and react to light and accommodation |
|
| PE | (a) pulmonary embolism
(b) Pre eclampsia |
|
| PET | Pre-eclamptic toxaemia | |
| PFR | Peak Flow Rate | Breathing test – speed of expiration |
| pg | Picogram | |
| pH | Negative low of hydrogen ion activity: | Acidity and alkalinity scale. Low is acidic, high is alkaline. pH7 is about neutral. |
| PH | Past/previous history | |
| PID | (a) Pelvic inflammatory disease
(b) Prolapsed invertebral disc |
|
| PMH or PHx | Past medical history | |
| PN (R) | percussio note (resonant) | |
| PO2 | Partial pressure of oxygen (normally in blood) |
|
| POH | Past obstetric history | |
| po | per os (by mouth) | |
| pr | per rectum | |
| prn | As required, of eg, pain killers | |
| pv | per vaginam | |
| RBC | Red blood cell (erythrocyte) | |
| Rh | Rhesus blood type | Can cause problems in pregnancy if mother is Rhesus negative and father is Rhesus positive |
| RIH | Right inguinal hernia | |
| ROA | Right occiput anterior | |
| ROL | Right occiput lateral | |
| ROM | Range of movement | |
| ROP | Right occiput posterior | |
| RS | Respiratory system | |
| RTI | Respiratory tract infection | |
| Rx | Prescription or treatment | |
| s | Without (latin sine) | |
| S/B | Seen by | |
| S/D | Systolic/diastolic (heart & circulation) |
|
| SH | Social history | |
| SJ | Supinator jerk | |
| SOA | Swelling of ankles | |
| SOB (OE) | Short of breath (on exertion) | |
| SOS | (a) si opus sit (if necessary)
(b) see other sheet |
|
| SROM | Spontaneous rupture of membranes (labour) | |
| SVC | Superior vena cava | |
| SVD | Spontaneous vaginal delivery | |
| SVT | Supraventricular tachycardia | |
| TCI 2/52 | To come in, in 2 weeks time | |
| TGH | To go home | |
| THR | Total hip replacement | |
| TIA | Transient ischaemic attack | |
| TJ | Triceps jerk | |
| TVF | Tactile vocal fremitus | |
| U & E | Urea and electrolytes (biochemical tests) | |
| URTI | Upper respiratory tract infection | |
| USS | Ultrasound Scan | |
| VE | Vaginal examination | |
| VF | Ventricular fibrillation | |
| VT | Ventricular tachycardia | |
| V/V | Vulva and vagina | |
| WBC | White blood corpuscle / white blood cell count |
|
| XR | X-ray |
For online resources see:
Some free material but access to the
abbreviation database requires a subscription of $15 pa.
http://www.globalrph.com/abbrev.htm
Free alphabetical list of common medical
abbreviations.
15 page medical abbreviation summary.
http://www.jdmd.com/abbreviations-glossary.asp
