| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| AAA |
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
Swelling of the main artery in the abdomen |
| AAL |
Anterior Axillary Line |
Imaginary line drawn down the chest wall in front of the arm pit |
| (AAT) Deficiency |
Alpha1 - Anti trypsin Deficiency |
|
| AB |
Apex Beat |
|
| ABG |
Arterial Blood Gas also "Sats" |
Blood test to see how much oxygen there is in the blood (percentage ‘saturation’ with oxygen) |
| ACL |
Anterior Cruciate Ligament |
A ligament in the knee |
| A.d |
As Directed |
|
| ADC |
Aids Defining Condition |
|
| A/E |
Air Entry to Lungs |
|
| A&E |
Accident & Emergency Department |
|
| AF |
Atrial Fibrillation |
Irregular heart beat |
| AFP |
Alpha-fetoprotein |
|
| AHRF |
Acute Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure |
|
| AI/R |
Aortic Incompetence/regurgitation |
Leaking heart valve. |
| AIDS |
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
|
| AJ/AR |
Ankle Jerk/Reflex |
Hitting the ankle with a patella hammer to test reflexes |
| A/K |
Above Knee |
|
| AoR |
Aortic Valve Replacement |
|
| APD |
Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis |
|
| ARVC |
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy |
|
| AS |
Abdominal System OR Aortic Stenosis OR Ankylosing Spondylitis |
Aortic Stenosis is a narrowed heart valve |
| ASD |
Atria-Septal Defect |
|
| AXR |
Abdominal X-Ray |
|
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| CA or Ca (also indicated by "*") |
Carcinoma
|
Cancer |
| Carcinoma Tumour Markers |
|
|
| CA 125 |
(cancer antigen 125) |
associated with ovarian cancer |
| CA 15-3 |
(cancer antigen 15-3) |
associated with breast, lung and ovarian cancer |
| CA 19-9 |
(cancer antigen 19-9) |
associated with pancreatic, bowel and bile duct cancers |
| CEA |
(carcinoembryonic antigen) |
associated with cancers of bowel, lung, breast, thyroid, pancreas, liver,
cervix and bladder – elevated in many benign conditions as well |
| AFP |
(alpha-fetoprotein) |
associated with cancer of testicle or ovary |
| hCG |
(human chorionic gonadotrophin) |
associated with testicular cancer and normal pregnancy (this hormone
is the one measured in home pregnancy urine test kits) |
| LDH |
(lactate dehydrogenise) |
associated with testicular cancer |
| PSA |
Prostate-Specific Antogen |
prostate cancer and benign conditions of the prostate, very raised when
there are bony secondaries and is often a good predictor of bony spread |
| CABG/S or CAG/S |
Coronary Artery (Bypass) Graft/Surgery |
Heart surgery to bypass blocked blood supply |
| CAPD |
Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis |
|
| CCF |
Congestive Cardiac Failure |
|
| CCU |
Coronary Care Unit |
|
| CF |
Cystic Fibrosis |
|
| CFS |
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome |
Also called ME |
| CHRF |
Chronic Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure |
|
| CNS |
Central Nervous System |
|
| CO2 |
Carbon Dioxide |
|
| C/o or C.o |
Complains of |
|
| COAD |
Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease |
Chronic lung disease |
| COPD |
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
Chronic lung disease |
| CP |
Cerebral Palsy |
|
| CPAP |
Continuous Positive Airways Pressure |
|
| CSII |
Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion |
|
| CT |
Coronary Thrombosis |
Heart Attack |
| CT or CAT |
Computerised Axial Tomography |
X ray scan |
| CTO |
Compulsory Treatment Order |
|
| CVA |
Cerebrovascular Accident |
Stroke |
| CVS |
Cardiovascular System |
The heart and blood vessels |
| CX or Cx |
Cervix OR Cervical Spine |
Cervix is the neck of the wombFor example, Cx smear = Cervical smear |
| CXR |
Chest X-ray |
|
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| EAM |
External Auditory Meatus |
Ear canal opening |
| ECG |
Electrocardiogram/ Electrocardiograph |
A recording of the electrical changes that accompany the beating of the heart. Often used to diagnose heart disease. |
| ECT |
Electro-convulsive therapy |
A procedure in which an electric current is briefly applied to the head to produce a seizure for treatment of depression |
| EDNOS |
Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified |
|
| EEG |
Electroencephalogram |
A recording of electrical activity of the brain to diagnose certain diseases (such as epilepsy). |
| EMG |
Electromyography |
Evaluation of the electrical activity of resting and contracting muscle to ascertain causes of muscular weakness, paralysis and involuntary movements of muscles. |
| EMU |
Early Morning Specimen of Urine |
Most frequently analysed for detection of tuberculosis. |
| ENG |
Head engaged (Baby) |
Head of baby low in pelvis (in Womb) |
| ENT |
Ear, Nose & Throat |
|
| EP |
Epilepsy |
|
| EPAP |
Expiratory Positive Airways Pressure |
|
| ERCP |
Endoscopic retrograde cholongiopancreatography |
|
| ESR |
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate |
A blood test for inflammation |
| EUA |
Examination Under Anaesthesia |
|
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| HAART/ART |
High Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy / Anti-Retroviral Therapy |
Drug combinations used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS |
| HAV |
Hepatitis A Virus |
|
| Hb |
Haemoglobin |
A measure of blood count (eg in Anaemia) |
| (HbA1C) |
Glycosylated Haemoglobin test |
|
| HBV |
Hepatitis B Virus |
|
| hCG |
Human chorionic gonadotrophin sometimes called ‘beta’ human chorionic gonadotrophin (βhCG) |
|
| HCV |
Hepatitis C Virus |
|
| Hg |
Murcury |
mm.Hg units for measuring blood pressure |
| HH |
Hiatus Hernia |
Part of stomach displaced above diaphragm |
| HI |
Head Injury |
|
| HIV |
Human Immunodeficiency Virus |
The causative organism in AIDS. |
| HNPU |
Has Not Passed Urine |
|
| HO |
History Of |
|
| HPC |
History Of Present Complaint |
|
| HR |
Heart Rate |
|
| HS |
Heart Sounds |
|
| HT |
Height |
|
| Hx |
History (of complaint) |
|
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| Mane |
In the Morning |
|
| M&C (S) |
Microscopy & Culture Sensitivity of Bacteria |
Of a sample e.g. urine |
| MCL |
Mid Clavicular Line |
An imaginary line down the body from the middle of the collarbone |
| MCV |
Mean Corpuscular Volume |
A measure of the size of red blood cells |
| ME |
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis |
Also called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome |
| MET/S |
Metastases |
Cancer spread to other organs |
| MI |
Myocardial Infarction OR Mitral Incompetence |
Heart attack OR leaking heart valve (=MR) |
| mitte or mite |
Dispense this number of tablets |
|
| MMSE |
Mini Mental Score Examination |
|
| MND |
Motor Neurone Disease |
|
| MR |
Mitral Regurgitation |
Leaking heart valve (=MI) |
| MRI |
Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
Body/Brain Scan |
| MS |
Multiple Sclerosis OR Mitral Stenosis |
Mitral Stenosis is a narrowed heart valve |
| MSS |
Musculo-Skeletal System |
|
| MSE |
Mental State Examination |
|
| MSU or MSSU |
Mid-Stream Urine Sample |
|
| MUA |
Manipulation Under Anaesthetic |
|
| Mx |
Management or treatment |
|
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| O2 |
Oxygen |
|
| OA |
Osteoarthritis |
Degenerative arthritis |
| OCD |
Obsessive compulsive disorder |
|
| OC/COC |
( Combined) Oral Contracepti ve |
|
| OCT |
Orthotopic Cardiac Transplant |
Heart Transplant |
| o.d. |
Once a Day |
|
| OD |
Overdose |
|
| O/E or o.e |
On Examination |
|
| OGD |
Oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy |
Fibreoptic examination of stomach and gullet |
| OGTT |
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test |
|
| on |
At Night |
|
| om |
In the Morning |
|
| OM (R/L) |
Otitis Media |
Middle ear infection |
| OP |
Out-Patient |
|
| ORIF |
Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (of fracture) |
Operation to set a broken bone |
| otc |
Over the counter (bought medication) |
|
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| P |
Pulse |
|
| PACS |
Picture Archiving and Communication System |
|
| PCB |
Post Coital Bleeding |
Vaginal bleeding after intercourse |
| PCC |
Post Coital Contraception |
"Morning after" pill |
| PE |
Pulmonary Embolism |
Blood clot on the lung |
| PERLA |
Pupils equal and react to light and accommodation |
On examination of nervous system/eyes |
| PF(R) |
Peak Flow (Rate) |
Breathing test – rate of expiration |
| PFT |
Pulmonary Function Test |
|
| PID |
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ORProlapsed Intervertebral Disc |
Gynaecological infection ORSlipped Disc |
| PKU |
Phenylketonuria |
A Metabolic disease |
| PM |
Post mortem examination |
|
| PMH also PHx |
Previous Medical History |
|
| PN |
Percussion Note |
|
| PND |
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnoea |
Short of breath at night |
| PO |
Per Orim |
By Mouth |
| POP |
Progesterone Only Pill ORPlaster of Paris |
MinipillCast |
| PPs |
Peripheral pulses |
Pulses felt for example in the feet, ankles etc… |
| PR |
Per Rectum or Pulse Rate |
Rectal examination |
| PRN |
As Required |
|
| PTCA |
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty |
Opening up the main arteries of the heart using a balloon inserted usually near the groin |
| PTSD |
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder |
|
| PU |
Peptic Ulcer OR Passed urine |
Peptic Ulcer – Stomach or Duodenal Ulcer |
| PV |
Per Vagina |
Vaginal examination |
| PVD |
Peripheral Vascular Disease |
Furring up (atherosclerosis) of the blood vessels of the limbs |
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| SBG |
Serum Blood Glucose |
Blood Sugar Level |
| SC |
Subcutaneous |
Injections |
| SH |
Social history |
|
| SI |
Sacro-IIiac |
Back Joint |
| SJ/SR |
Supinator Jerk /Reflex |
Hitting the wrist with a patella hammer to test reflexes |
| SLE |
Systemic Lupus Erythematosis |
Connective tissue disorder |
| SLR |
Straight Leg Raising |
|
| SMR |
Submucosal Resection |
Nasal operation |
| SOB |
Short of Breath |
|
| SOL |
Space Occupying Lesion |
Tumour, usually of head |
| SOM |
Secretory Otitis Media |
Middle ear infection/glue ear |
| SOS |
In an Emergency |
|
| SR |
Sinus rhythm |
Normal heart beat |
| Stat |
Immediately |
|
| STD |
Sexually Transmitted Disease |
A disease contracted through sexual contact. |
| STI |
Sexually Transmitted Infection |
|
| SVD |
Spontaneous Vertex Delivery |
Normal delivery |
| SVT |
Supraventricular tachcardia |
Fast heart rate |
| Sx |
Symptoms |
|
| SXR |
Skull X-ray |
|
| Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further Information |
| TAH |
Total abdominal hysterectomy |
|
| TJ/TR |
Triceps Jerk/Reflex |
Hitting the back of the elbow with a patella hammer to test reflexes |
| T |
Temperature |
|
| T (usually with a circle with a dot in the centre) |
Trachea Central |
Breathing tube not displaced. If displaced, direction of displacement usually indicated by an arrow |
| TATT |
Tired all the Time |
|
| TB |
Tuberculosis |
|
| TCI |
To come in-date or fact that a person is due to be admitted to hospital |
|
| tds (or) tid |
Three Times a Day |
|
| TFTs |
Thyroid Function Tests |
|
| THR |
Total Hip Replacement |
|
| TIA |
Transient Ischaemic Attack |
Small, short lived stroke – often recurrent |
| TKR |
Total Knee Replacement |
|
| TLC |
Tender Loving Care |
Treat only with symptom relief and nursing care, usually meaning that this is all that is needed. |
| TM or Tm |
Tympanic Membrane |
Ear drum |
| TPN |
Total Parenteral Nutrition |
|
| TPR |
Temperature, Pulse and Respiration |
|
| Ts&As |
Tonsilectomy and Adenoidectomy |
|
| TSH |
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone |
|
| TShR |
Total Shoulder Replacement |
|
| TTO/A |
To take home/away (medication) |
|
| TU(R)P |
Transurethral (resection) of Prostate |
Operation on the prostate gland carried out through the penis |
