Abbreviations Flashcards
TURP
TRANSURETHRAL RESECTION OF THE PROSTATE
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is a surgery used to treat urinary problems due to an enlarged prostate. A combined visual and surgical instrument (resectoscope) is inserted through the tip of your penis and into the tube that carries urine from the bladder (urethra)
ABG
ARTERIAL BLOOD GAS
The sampling of the blood levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the arteries, as opposed to the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in venous blood. Typically the acidity, or pH, of the blood is measured simultaneously with the gas levels in ABG sampling.
ADH
ANTIDIURETIC HORMONE
A peptide molecule that is released by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain after being made nearby (in the hypothalamus). ADH has antidiuretic action that prevents the production of dilute urine (and so is antidiuretic).
ADL
ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
Things we normally do in daily living including any daily activity we perform for self-care such as feeding ourselves, bathing, dressing, grooming, work, homemaking, and leisure.
AIDS
ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a syndrome caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with ensuing compromise of the body’s immune system.
AMI
ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION
The term ‘myocardial infraction’ focuses on the heart muscle, which is called the myocardium, and the changes that occur in it due to the sudden deprivation of circulating blood… The main change is death (necrosis) of myocardial tissue. The word ‘infraction’ comes from the Latin ‘infarcire’ meaning ‘to plug up or cram.’
AV
ATRIOVENTRICULAR; ARTERIOVENOUS
AV is the standard medical abbreviation for atrioventricular, a combination that means pertaining to the atria (the upper chambers of the heart) and the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart). For example, the AV node is an electrical relay station between the atria and the ventricles.
BBB
BL00D-BRAIN BARRIER; BUNDLE-BRANCH BLOCK
BMR
BASAL METABOLIC RATE
The rate at which energy is used by an organism at complete rest, measured in humans by the heat given off per unit time, and expressed as the calories released per kilogram of body weight or per square meter of body surface per hour.
CBC
COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT (CELL)
A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood…. The number of white blood cells in a volume of blood.
BPM
BEAT PER MINUTE
Heart rate is the speed of the heartbeat measured by the number of contractions (beats) of the heart per minute (bpm)…. Tachycardia is a fast heart rate, defined as above 100 bpm at rest. Bradycardia is a slow heart rate, defined as below 60 bpm at rest.
COAD
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAYS DISEASE
It was once known as chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD). These days its called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Both are the offical medical names from chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
BCC
BASAL CELL CANCER
Basal cell carcinoma. This type of BCC begins as a popular or nodule on or with the skin.
COPD
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
CHRONIC AIRFLOW LIMITATION
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease. Having COPD makes it hard to breathe. There are two main forms of COPD: Chronic bronchitis, which involves a long-term cough with mucus. Emphysema, which involves damage to the lungs over time.
CHF
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE
Congestive heart failure is the inability of the heart to keep up with demands on it, with failure of the heart to pump blood with normal efficiency. When this occurs, the heart is unable to provide adequate blood flow to other organs, such as the brain, liver, and kidneys.
CRF
CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE
Chronic renal failure (CRF) gradual loss of kidney function, with progressively more severe renal insufficiency until the stage called chronic irreversible kidney failure or end-stage renal disease. Symptoms may include polyurethaning, anorexia or nausea, dehydration, and neurological symptoms.
CXR
CHEST X-RAY
DKA
DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones. The condition develops when your body can’t produce enough insulin.
ECG
ELECTRO CARDIOGRAM
Electrocardiogram: A recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Abbreviated ECG OR EKG…. Electrodes are placed on the skin of the chest and connected in a specific order to a machine that, when turned on, measures electrical activity all over the heart.
ENT
EARS, NOSE, THROAT
ERCP
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
Diagnostic technique
Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography, a diagnostic procedure used to examine diseases of the liver, bile ducts, and pancreas. ERCP is usually performed under intravenous sedation rather than general anaesthesia.
ESR
ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE
ESR; Abbreviation for erythrocyte sedimentation rate, a blood test that detects and monitors inflammation in the body. It measures the rate at which red blood cells (RBC’s) in a test tube separate from blood serum over time, becoming sediment in the bottom of the test tube.
WBC
WHITE BLOOD COUNT (CELL)
When WBC is low, there may not be enough neutrophils to defend against bacterial infections. The white blood cell count is done by counting the number of white blood cells in a sample of blood. A normal WBC is in the range of 4,000 to 11,000 cells per microliter. A low WBC is called leukopenia.
GIT
GITALIN - 1: a crystalline glycoside C35/H56/0-12 obtained from digitalis. 2: an amorphous water-solvable mixture of glycosides of digitalis used similarly to digitalis.
GIT - The Medical Definition of Gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal tract: The stomach and intestines. Abbreviated GI tract.
HNPU
HAS NOT PASSED URINE
IDDM
INSULIN - DEPENDENT DIABETES
MELLITUS (TYPE 1 MELLITUS DIABETES)
IHD
ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE
Ischemic heart disease, also called coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary artery disease, is the term given to heart problems caused by narrowed heart (coronary) arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle… The discomfort experienced when the heart muscle is deprived of adequate oxygen is called angina pectoris.
IHC
IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY
(IHC) is the most common application of immunostaining. It involves the process of selectively identifying antigens (proteins) in cells of a tissue section by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens in biological tissues.
IHPS
INFANTILE HYPERTROPHIC PYLORIC STENOSIS
IHPS Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis (found during erythromycin treatment in children).
Erythromycin is a common antibiotic for treating bacterial infection.
Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis is blockage of the passage out of the stomach due to thickening (hypertrophy) of the muscle at the junction between the stomach and the intestines.
IHSS
IDEOPATHIC HYPERTROPHIC SUBAORTIC STENOSIS (HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY)
IHSS, or idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis, is another term synonymously with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). It is an inherited disease of the heart that causes thickening of the heart muscle and other changes to the heart that significantly impair its function.
Hypertrophy: enlargement or overgrowth of an organ or part of the body due to the increased size of the constituent cells.
Cardiomyopathy (Kahr-dee-o-my-op-uh-thee) is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure. The main types of cardiomyopathy include dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy.
IVC
INFERIOR VENA CAVA; INTRAVENOUS CHOLANGIOGRAPHY
Inferior vena cava: a vein that is the largest vein in the human body, is formed by the union of the two common iliac veins at the level of the fifth lumbar vertebra, and returns blood to the right atrium of the heart from bodily parts below the diaphragm.
Atrium: A body cavity or chamber, especially either of the upper chamber, especially either of the upper chambers of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into the ventricle. Also called auricle.
IVP
INTRAVENOUS PUSH; INTRAVENOUS PYELOGRAPHY/PYELOGRAM Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) is an x-ray exam that uses an injection of contrast material to evaluate your kidneys, ureters and bladder and help diagnose blood in the urine or pain in your side or lower back.
KUB
KIDNEY’S, URETERS, BLADDER
An abdominal x-ray is an x-ray of the abdomen. It is sometimes abbreviated to AXR or KUB (for kidneys, ureters, and urinary bladder).
LFT
LEFT FRONTOTRANSVERSE (POSITION)
003436. Liver function tests (LFTs or LFs), also referred to as hepatic panel, are groups of blood tests that provide information about the state of a patient’s liver. These tests include prothrombin time (PT/INR), aPTT, albumin, bilirubin (direct and indirect), and others.
Hepatic Panel: is a group of tests that are performed together to detect evaluate, and monitor liver disease or damage.
Prothrombin time: the time required for a particular specimen of prothrombin to induce blood-plasma clotting under standardised conditions in comparison with a time between 11.5 ad 12 seconds for normal human blood.
aPTT: Common notation of coagulation times in medical records. MeSH. D010314. The partial thromboplatin time (PPT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT or APTT) is a blood test that characterises coagulation of the blood.
LVF
LEFT VENTRICULAR FAILURE
Left ventricular failure, failure of the left side of the heart.
2. Left ventricular function, the function of the left ventricle. In both of these senses, LVF is in contrast to RVF (right ventricular failure or function).
Ventricle: is a cavity of a bodily part organ: such as a chamber of the heart which receives blood from a corresponding atrium and from which blood is forced into arteries.
RVF: 1. Rift Valley fever, the disease and the virus that causes it.
2. Right ventricular failure, failure of the right ventricles of the heart.
Ventricle: a cavity of a bodily part or organ: such as a chamber of the heart which receives blood from a corresponding atrium and from which blood is forced into the arteries.
HX
MEDICAL HISTORY
The Hx is a way for a physician to become better acquainted wit a patient. A physician trying to make a diagnosis using only the symptoms is like an attorney trying to defend a client without first reading a case’s legal brief.
PD
PERITIONEAL DIALYSIS
A plastic tube called dialysis catheter is surgically placed through the abdominal wall, into the abdominal cavity.
PID
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DIEASE
PID is an infection caused by bacteria. When bacteria from the vagina or cervix travel to your womb, Fallopian tubes, or ovaries, they can cause an infection. Most of the time, PID is caused by bacteria from chlamydia and gonorrhea. These are sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Chlamydia: is a common sexually transmitted disease. It is caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis….Men can get chlamydia in the urethra (inside the penis), rectum, or throat.
Gonorrhea: A bacterial infection that is a transmitted by sexual contact. Gonorrrhea is one of the oldest known sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria. Men with gonorrhea may have a yellowish discharge from the penis accompanied by itching and burning.
PH
PLECKSTRIN HOMOLOGY
pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a fluid. The pH of any fluid is the measure of its hydrogen ion (H+) concentration relative to that of a given standard solution. The pH may range from 0 to 14, where 0 is most acid, 14 most basic, 7 is neutral.
POP
PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE
PVD
PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE
A disease of blood vessels outside the heart. Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) affects the peripheral circulation, as opposed to the cardia circulation. PVD comprises diseases of both peripheral arteries and peripheral veins.
RIF
RIGHT ILIAC FOSSA
ROM
RANGE OF ACCOMODATION;
RANGE OF AUDIBILITY;
RANGE OF MOTION
(ROM) The range of motion of a joint from full extension to full flexion (bending) measured in degrees like a circle. Mentioned in Spinal Cord Injury.
SCC
SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA
(SCC) is a health condition involving the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells of the epidermis. It occurs as a result of keratinisation of the epidermal cells and has the potential to metastasise to other regions of the body.
Epidermis: The upper or outer layer of the two main layers of cells that make up the skin….The other main layer of the skin is the dermis, the inner layer of skin, that contains blood and lymph vessels, hair follicles, and glands.
Metastasis: It means a illness has spread to new parts of the body. The noun metastasis is a medical term that’s most often used to describe a spreading cancer. If a patient’s lung cancer spreads to his heart or to his lymph nodes, that is metastasis. It’s a Greek work meaning “transference or change.”
Lymph Nodes: One of many small, bean shaped organs located throughout the lymphatic system. The Lymph Nodes are important in the function of the immune response and also store special cells that can trap cancer cells or bacteria that are travelling through the body through the lymph.
SOOB
SEND OUT OF BED
SITTING OUT OF BED
TFT
THYROID FUNCTION TESTS
TFTs may be requested if a patient is thought to suffer from hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), or to monitor the effectiveness of either thyroid suppression or hormone replacement therapy.
TIA
TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK
Transient Ischemic Attack or (TIA mini stroke): A neurological event with the signs and symptoms of a stroke, but which go away within a short period of time. Also called a mini-stroke, a TIA is due to a temporary lack of adequate blood and oxygen (ischemia) to the brain.
ABD
ABDOMEN
A&D
ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE
AMB
AMBULATORY, ABLE TO WALK
AP
APPENDECTOMY
CATH
CATHETER
CCU
CARDIA CARE UNIT/CORONARY CARE UNIT
CBR
COMPLETE BED REST
CVA
CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT OR STROKE
CPR
CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION
DX
DIAGNOSIS
EEG
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM
FBS
FASTING BLOOD SUGAR
FF
FORCED FEEDING OR FORCED FLUIDS
FX
FRACTURE
GI
GASTROINTESTINAL
GTT
GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST
GYN
GYNECOLOGY
HOB
HEAD OF BED
ICU
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
I&O
INTAKE AND OUTPUT
ISOL
ISOLATION
IV
INTRAVENOUS
NOCT
AT NIGHT