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Medical Terminology course > Common Abbreviations S Through W > Flashcards

Common Abbreviations S Through W Flashcards

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USMLE® Step 1 flashcards
1
Q

S with line over

A

Without. Latin- s with a line over represents sine, which is Latin for without.

“The patient was s c/o pain.”

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2
Q

Sig.

A

Write; to be labeled.

“The dr wrote tab qd x7 days sig. take with milk”

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3
Q

SOB

A

Shortness of breath.

“The patient experienced SOB upon exertion.”

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4
Q

ss

A

Half. Latin- solo semi.

“The dr ordered the patient to take ss tab of the medication.”

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5
Q

SSE

A

Soap suds enema.

“The GI dr ordered SSE until clear for the patient scheduled for an upper GI series.”

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6
Q

Staph

A

Staphylococcus. Greek- staphylos- bunch of grapes, which the bacteria resembles.

“The dr placed the patient on antibiotics for her staph infection.”

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7
Q

Stat

A

Immediately. Latin-statim-immediately.

“The dr ordered a CXR (chest x Ray) stat.”

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8
Q

Strep.

A

Streptococcus

“The dr placed the patient on antibiotics for her strep throat.”

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9
Q

Syr

A

Syrup

“The dr ordered acetaminophen syr. for the small boy.”

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10
Q

T

A

Temperature.

“The patient had a 97.6 T.”

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11
Q

Tab

A

Tablet.

“The dr ordered x2 tabs acetaminophen 650mg for the pt. c/o a headache”

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12
Q

Tbsp

A

Tablespoon. 3tbsp=1 TB

“The pt. was given 2tbsp of medication”

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13
Q

Tid

A

Three times a day. Latin- ter in die. Refers to medications and procedures.

“The dr ordered the patient to be OOB tid.”

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14
Q

TO

A

Telephone order.

“The dr gave a TO to restrain the patient”

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15
Q

TPR

A

Temperature, pulse, and respirations.

“The nurse’s aid recorded the vital signs on the TPR sheet”

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16
Q

UP

A

Universal precautions.

“All patients are to be handled with UP standards”

Not frequently used. Indicates that all patients are considered infectious.

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17
Q

URI

A

Upper respiratory infection

“The patients was having dyspnea (difficulty breathing) due to his URI.”

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18
Q

UTI

A

Urinary tract infection.

“The patient with the Foley cath had acquired a nosocomial UTI.”

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19
Q

Dyspnea

A

Difficulty breathing

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20
Q

v.o.

A

Verbal order.

“The dr issued a v.o. for atropine during the code.”

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21
Q

v.s.

A

Vital signs

“The patient’s v.s. are stable.”

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22
Q

W/C.

A

Wheelchair.

“The patient required a W/C for discharge.”

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23
Q

wt.

A

Weight.

“The patient’s wt. is up 2kg (2 kg=4.4 lbs.) from yesterday.”

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24
Q

CCU

A

Coronary care unit; critical care unit.

“1. The patient with angina (chest pain) was admitted to the CCU.
2. The CCU was full of accident victims”

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25
Q

CS

A

Central supply

“The nurse had to go to CS to pick up the sterile packages of bandages.”

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26
Q

EENT

A

Eyes, ears, nose, and throat.

“The patient with severe sinusitis was sent to an EENT specialist for consultation.”

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27
Q

ER

A

Emergency room

28
Q

GI lab

A

Gastrointestinal lab.

“The patient with the bleeding ulcer was taken to the GI lab.”

29
Q

MICU

A

Medical intensive care unit.

“The patient with active tuberculosis was admitted to MICU.”

30
Q

NICU

A

Neuro intensive care unit; neonatal intensive care unit

31
Q

OB-GYN

A

Obstetrics and gynecology, or obstetrician gynecologist

“The patient went to an OB-GYN for a Pap smear (an exam to detect uterine cancer.”

32
Q

OR

A

Operating room

33
Q

Pedi

A

Pediatrics.

“The little boy was admitted to the pedi ward.”

34
Q

PT

A

Physical therapy.

35
Q

RT

A

Respiratory therapy

“The RT department was in charge of doing the blood gas work.”

36
Q

SICU

A

Surgical intensive care unit

“The recovery room patient was admitted to SICU because the staff could not successfully remove him from the ventilator.”

37
Q

ABG

A

Arterial blood gas

“The doctor ordered an ABG on the cyanotic (blue) patient”

An ABG is a blood test on blood that has been drawn from a patient’s artery. This is usually more painful than a venous draw. It evaluates whether there is adequate oxygenation in the blood stream.”

38
Q

ACP

A

Acute care panel

“The dr ordered an ACP as part of the patient’s daily lab work.”

An ACP is a collection of chemistry tests that is also known as an electrolyte panel.

39
Q

BUN

A

Blood urea nitrogen

“The BUN level was high on the dialysis patient.”

A chemistry that is routinely evaluated as part of an electrolyte panel. Along with CRE, BUN usually indicates renal failure if high.

40
Q

C&S

A

Culture and sensitivity

“The dr ordered a C&S of the patient’s green sputum.”

A culture and sensitivity is ordered to check for bacterial growth. If a bacteria is discovered (through a culture), then a sensitivity is performed to see what antibiotic is appropriate in killing the bacteria. It can take up to 72 hrs to get the final results.

41
Q

CBC

A

Complete blood count.

“A CBC was ordered for the patient with the flulike symptoms.”

A CBC is a blood test that evaluates the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen and cells that fight off infection.

42
Q

Chem

A

Chemistry

“The dr ordered a chem 24 for the patient’s a.m. lab.”

The abbreviation chem. denotes lab tests used to measure blood chemistry levels. Drs may order a chem 24, which includes most chemistry tests, or the shorter chem 12

43
Q

CSF

A

Cerebral spinal fluid.

“The dr ordered CSF to be tested for C&S.”

Cerebral spinal fluid rests in the interior of the spinal column and protects the spinal cord. The fluid essentially extends to the brain. A test of the spinal fluid, called a spinal tap, is usually performed to check for meningitis.

44
Q

CXR

A

Chest x Ray

“The dr ordered a CXR for the new orally intubated patient (a breathing tube was inserted through the mouth and into the lower trachea.”

45
Q

DPT

A

Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus

“The school nurse wanted to know if the children had received their DPT vaccinations.”

This is a vaccination for the diseases diphtheria, pertussis (better known as whooping cough), and tetanus. Many Drs today use the abbreviation DTP, moving tetanus to the middle.

46
Q

FBS

A

Fasting blood sugar.

“The dr ordered an FBS for the new onset diabetic.”

A fasting blood sugar is obtained in the early morning after the patient has not had anything to eat since the previous midnight.

47
Q

HCT

A

Hematocrit

“The dr ordered a blood transfusion because the patient’s HCT was low.”

HCT is a blood level that is usually evaluated as part of a CBC. The hematocrit looks at the volume of blood in relation to the volume of cells.

48
Q

Hgb

A

Hemoglobin

“The patient’s Hgb was normal two hours after the blood transfusion.”

A blood level that is usually evaluated as part of a CBC. It’s part of a red blood cell and is responsible for carrying oxygen.

49
Q

Lytes

A

Electrolytes

“The dr ordered lytes on the dehydrated patient.”

Lytes is a lab blood test and usually contains potassium (K+), sodium (Na), chloride (CI), carbon dioxide (CO2), and sometimes glucose (Glu).

50
Q

O&P

A

Ova and parasites

“The dr ordered the stool to be tested for O&P x3 (three separate specimens are to be obtained).”

O&P usually denotes a lab test performed on fecal matter

51
Q

O2

A

Oxygen

“The dr ordered the patient to be placed on a 50% oxygen face mask (the oxygen content is 50%).”

52
Q

RBC

A

Red blood cells

“The patient with anemia had a low RBC count.”

53
Q

TB

A

Tuberculosis

“The TB patient was placed on respiratory isolation (specifically fitted mask and gloves).”

54
Q

UA

A

Urinalysis

“The doctor ordered a UA for the patient with dysuria (painful ruination).”

A urinalysis is a lab test of urine that looks for protein, specific gravity, sugar, pH, and other chemistries.

55
Q

WBC

A

White blood cells

“The dr ordered an antibiotic because the WBCs and the bands were elevated.”

Different types of WBCs are checked when a doctor orders a CBC with diff. (differential). Three common WBCs are lymphs (if elevated, this denotes a virus), bands (if elevated, this denotes a bacteria), and eosinophils (if elevated, this denotes an allergic reaction).

56
Q

Ca

A

Calcium

“The dr ordered a Ca supplement because the patient’s Ca level was low.”

Calcium is a chemistry that is routinely evaluated as part of an electrolyte panel.

57
Q

CI

A

Chloride

“The patient’s CI was normal, but the rest of his electrolytes were a little off.”

58
Q

CRE

A

Creatinine

“The CRE level was high on the dialysis patient.”

CRE is a chemistry that is routinely evaluated as part of an electrolyte panel. Along with BUN, this usually indicates renal failure if high.

59
Q

Fe

A

Iron

“The doctor ordered an Fe supplement for the anemic female patient.”

60
Q

Glu

A

Glucose

“The patient’s Glu level was considered normal at 110.”

61
Q

K+

A

Potassium

“The doctor ordered a K+ supplement because the patient’s K+ level was low.”

62
Q

Na

A

Sodium

“The patient’s Na level was within normal limits (WNL).”

63
Q

NaHCO3

A

Sodium bicarbonate

“The patient’s NaHCO3 was slightly low, so the doctor ordered an increase in the ventilator rate. (An increase in rate decreases acid-based CO2. The patient was considered slightly acidic.)”

Sodium bicarbonate is usually studied as part of an ABG (arterial blood gas) and is indicative of the patient’s pH acid base balance.

64
Q

URI

A

upper respiratory infection.

“the patient was having dyspnea (difficulty breathing) due to his URI”

65
Q

Cyanotic

A

Blue

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