|
Abbreviation |
Translation |
Further
Information |
|
0 |
Not Present OR No abnormality |
Also in superscript e.g. ……..o |
|
+/- |
Uncertain/equivocal |
|
|
+ |
Present or Noted |
|
|
++ |
Present Significantly |
|
|
+++ |
Present in Excess |
|
|
= |
Equivalent to |
|
|
3 |
OK or satisfactory |
|
|
A |
Ankle Jerk/Reflex |
Hitting the ankle with a patella hammer to test reflexes |
|
AAA |
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
Swelling of the main artery in the abdomen |
|
AAL |
Anterior Axillary Line |
Imaginary line drawn from the front arm pit down the chest wall |
|
ABG |
Arterial Blood Gas also "Sats" |
Blood test to see how much oxygen there is in the blood
(percentage ‘saturation’ with oxygen) |
|
ACL |
Anterior Clavicular Line OR Anterior Cruciate Ligament |
An imaginary line down the front of the body from the inner end
of the collarbone OR a ligament in the knee |
|
A.d |
As Directed |
|
|
A/E |
Air Entry to Lungs OR
Accident & Emergency |
|
|
AF |
Atrial Fibrillation |
Irregular heart beat |
|
AI/R |
Aortic Incompetence/regurgitation |
Leaking heart valve. |
|
AoR |
Aortic Valve Replacement |
|
|
AS |
Abdominal System OR Aortic Stenosis |
Aortic Stenosis is a narrowed heart valve |
|
AXR |
Abdominal X-Ray |
|
|
bd/bid |
Twice a Day |
|
|
B |
Biceps Jerk/Reflex |
Hitting the arm with a patella hammer to test reflexes |
|
BCC |
Basal Cell Carcinoma |
Skin Cancer – Very Low Malignancy |
|
BMI |
Body Mass Index |
A measure of body size relating to height and weight |
|
BNO |
Bowels Not Opened |
|
|
BOR |
Bowels Open Regularly |
|
|
BP |
Blood Pressure |
|
|
BPd |
Diastolic Blood Pressure |
The lower blood pressure (heart relaxed) |
|
BPs |
Systolic Blood Pressure |
The higher blood pressure (heart contracted) |
|
CA or Ca (also indicated by "*") |
Carcinoma |
Cancer |
|
CABG/S or CAG/S |
Coronary Artery (Bypass) Graft/Surgery |
Heart surgery to bypass blocked blood supply |
|
CFS |
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome |
Also called ME |
|
CNS |
Central Nervous System |
|
|
C/o or C.o |
Complains of |
|
|
COAD |
Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease |
Chronic lung disease |
|
COPD |
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
Chronic lung disease |
|
CT or CAT |
Computerised Axial Tomography |
Body Scan |
|
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 womb
For example, Cx smear = Cervical smear |
|
CXR |
Chest X-ray |
|
|
D&V |
Diarrhoea and Vomiting |
|
|
D/H |
Drug History |
|
|
DIP, PIP |
Dorsal/proximal interphalangeal joints |
Finger joints |
|
DLE |
Discoid Lupus Erythematosus |
A connective tissue disorder |
|
DNA |
Did Not Attend |
|
|
DS |
Disseminated (Multiple) Sclerosis |
|
|
DU |
Duodenal Ulcer |
|
|
DVT |
Deep Vein Thrombosis |
Blood clot – usually in leg |
|
DXT |
Deep X-ray Treatment |
Radiotherapy |
|
EAM |
External Auditory Meatus |
Ear canal opening |
|
ECG |
Electrocardiograph |
Electrical heart trace |
|
EMU |
Early Morning Specimen of Urine |
|
|
ENG |
Head engaged (Baby) |
Head of baby low in pelvis (in Womb) |
|
ENT |
Ear, Nose & Throat |
|
|
ESR |
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate |
A blood test for inflammation |
|
FBC |
Full Blood Count |
|
|
FBG/S |
Fasting Blood Glucose/Sugar |
|
|
FD |
Forceps Delivery |
|
|
F/H or FH |
Family History |
|
|
FHH/R |
Foetal Heart Heard/Regular |
Baby’s heartbeat in the womb |
|
FROM |
Full
Range of Movement |
|
|
FTD |
Formal Thought Disorder |
Psychiatric disorder |
|
FTND |
Full Term
Normal
Delivery |
|
|
GCS |
Glasgow
Coma Scale |
Consciousness state; score out of 15 |
|
GI or GIT |
Gastro Intestinal/Tract |
To do with the intestines |
|
GORD |
Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease |
Back flow of stomach acid into the gullet |
|
GU or GUT or GUS |
Genito Urinary/Tract/ System |
Relating to kidneys, bladder & genitals |
|
GU |
Gastric Ulcer |
|
|
GUM |
Genito-Urinary Medicine |
For sexually transmitted diseases/infections |
|
Hb |
Haemoglobin |
A measure of blood count (eg in Anaemia) |
|
HH |
Hiatus Hernia |
Part of stomach displaced above diaphragm |
|
HI |
Head Injury |
|
|
HNPU |
Has Not Passed Urine |
|
|
HR |
Heart Rate |
|
|
HS |
Heart Sounds |
|
|
HT |
Height |
|
|
Hx |
History (of complaint) |
|
|
IBS |
Irritable Bowel Syndrome |
|
|
IGT or IGTN |
In Growing Toenail |
|
|
IMB |
Intermenstrual Bleeding |
Vaginal bleeding between periods |
|
ISQ |
"In Status Quo" - Nothing has Changed |
|
|
IVP |
Intravenous Pyelogram |
X-ray of kidneys using an injected dye |
|
Ix |
Investigations |
|
|
JVP |
Jugular Venous Pressure |
Neck Vein – back pressure from the heart |
|
K |
Knee Jerk/Reflex OR serum potassium |
|
|
KUB |
Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder |
X-ray or ultrasound of renal track (IVP) |
|
LFT |
Liver Function Test |
Blood tests for liver function |
|
LIF |
Left Iliac Fossa |
Left groin |
|
LIH |
Left Inguinal Hernia |
Hernia of left groin |
|
LKKS |
Liver, kidney, kidney, spleen |
Result of examination |
|
LOC |
Loss of Consciousness |
|
|
LN |
Lymph Node |
|
|
LP |
Lumbar puncture |
Needle inserted into the spine for diagnostic purposes |
|
L/R/ IH |
Left or Right Inguinal Hernia |
Hernia of groins |
|
LS |
Lymph System |
|
|
LSCS or LUSCS |
Lower (Uterine) Segment Caesarean section |
|
|
LUQ |
Left Upper Quadrant |
Left upper part of abdomen |
|
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 to the described area |
|
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 |
|
MI |
Myocardial Infarction OR Mitral Incompetence |
Heart attack OR leaking heart valve (sometimes MR) |
|
mitte or mite |
Dispense this number of tablets |
|
|
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 |
|
|
NAD |
Nothing Abnormal Discovered |
|
|
NBI |
No Bone Injury |
|
|
Nocte |
At Night |
|
|
NFR |
Not For Resuscitation |
|
|
N&V |
Nausea & Vomiting |
|
|
OA |
Osteoarthritis |
