| Abbreviation
|
Meaning
|
| ā |
(a with a bar over it) before (from Latin ante)
before
|
| A |
assessment
|
| a.a. |
of each (from Latin ana ana)
amino acids:
|
| A1C |
glycated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c)
|
| Aa. |
arteria, see Artery
|
| Aag |
abdominal aortic aneurysm (pronounced "triple-A")
|
| AAD |
antibiotic-associated diarrhea
|
| AAI |
acute arterial insufficiency
|
| AAPMC |
antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis
|
| AAT |
activity as tolerated
atypical antibody test
|
| AAL |
anterior axillary line
|
| AAOx3 |
awake, alert, and oriented, times 3 (i.e., to person, place, and time)
|
| AAOx4 |
awake, alert, and oriented, times 3 (i.e., to person, place, time, and event)
|
| A/B |
acid-base ratio
|
| ab |
abdomen, abdominal
abortion
|
| Ab |
antibody
|
| AB |
abortion, AB (blood type)
|
| ABC |
airway, breathing, circulation
aspiration biopsy cytology
|
| ABCD |
airway, breathing, circulation, disability
asymmetry, borders, color, diameter (features on considering "Is it a malignant melanoma?")
ABCD rating (a staging system for prostate cancer)
|
ABCs
ABCDs
ABCDEs |
airway, breathing, circulation, etc. Refers to priority of needs in emergency situations. Exact spell-out and details after "C" vary by institution, but the "ABCs" theme is recurrent.
|
| Abd |
abdomen
abdominal[abduction]
|
| ABD |
[abdominal
|
| ABE |
acute bacterial endocarditis
|
| ABG |
arterial blood gas
|
| ABI |
acquired brain injury
ankle brachial pressure index
|
| ABLA |
acute blood loss anemia
|
| ABMT |
autologous bone marrow transplantation
|
| Abn |
abnormal
|
| ABO |
Landsteiner's blood grouping system
|
| ABPA |
allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis
|
| ABPI |
ankle brachial pressure index
|
| ABR
|
Auditory Brainstem Response
|
| ABT |
antibiotic therapy
|
| ABVD |
Doxorubicin (adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (first-line treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma)
|
| ABX |
antibiotics
|
a.c.
AC |
before a meal (from Latin ante cibum)
|
| AC |
abdominal circumference
assisted controlled ventilation
acromioclavicular joint
antecubital fossa
anticoagulation
|
| ACA |
acinic cell carcinoma
Affordable Care Act
anterior cerebral artery
|
| ACB |
aortocoronary bypass
|
| AC&BC |
air conduction and bone conduction, as in Weber test
|
| Acc |
accommodation (eye)
|
| ACCU |
acute coronary care unit
|
| ACD |
anemia of chronic disease
|
| ACD |
allergic contact dermatitis
|
| ACDF |
anterior cervical discectomy and fusion
|
| Ace |
acetone
|
| ACE |
angiotensin-converting enzyme
|
| ACEI |
angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor(s)
|
| ACh |
acetylcholine
|
| AChE |
acetylcholine esterase
|
| ACL |
anterior cruciate ligament
|
| ACLS |
advanced cardiac life support
|
| ACS |
altered conscious state
acute coronary syndrome
acute chest syndrome
|
| ACM |
arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
|
| ACTH |
adrenocorticotropic hormone
|
| ACP |
advance care planning
Advanced Clinical Practitioner
|
| ACPO |
acute colonic pseudo-obstruction
|
| ACU |
ambulatory care unit
|
| ad. |
right ear (from Latin auris dexter)
|
| AD |
Alzheimer's disease
acute distress
aortic dissection
right ear (from Latin auris dexter)
as directed
|
| ADA |
adenosine deaminase
American Dental Association
American Diabetes Association; e.g., "ADA diet"
Americans with Disabilities Act
|
| ADC |
AIDS dementia complex
|
| ADCC |
antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity
|
| ADD |
attention deficit disorder
|
| ADE
|
adverse drug event
|
| ADH |
antidiuretic hormone
|
| ADHD |
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
|
| ADHF |
acute decompensated heart failure
|
| ADHR |
autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets
|
| ADLs |
activities of daily living
|
| ad lib |
as desired (from Latin ad libitum)
|
| adm |
admission
|
| Adn |
adnexa (for example, adnexa of the uterus)
|
| ADP |
adenosine diphosphate
|
| ad part. dolent |
to the painful parts (from Latin ad partes dolentes)
|
| ADR |
adverse drug reaction
|
| ADW |
Ain't Doin' Well
|
| A/E |
Air entry
|
| A+E |
accident and emergency
|
| AEB |
as evidenced by (commonly used by nurses)
|
| AED |
automated external defibrillator
antiepileptic drug(s)
|
| AEM |
ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring
|
| AF |
atrial fibrillation
atrial flutter
amniotic fluid
|
| AF-AFP |
amniotic fluid alpha fetoprotein
|
| AFB |
acid-fast bacilli
|
| AFI |
amniotic fluid index
|
| AFib |
atrial fibrillation
|
| AFL |
atrial flutter
|
| AFNTR |
acute febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reaction
|
| AFO |
ankle-foot orthosis
|
| AFP |
alpha-fetoprotein
|
| AFSOF |
anterior fontanelle soft, open, flat
|
| Ag |
antigen
|
| AGA |
anti-gliadin antibodies
appropriate gestational age (see birth weight)
|
| AGC |
atypical glandular cells
|
| AGES criteria |
age, grade, extent, size (for tumors)
|
| AGN |
acute glomerulonephritis
|
| AH |
auditory hallucinations
|
| a.h. |
every other hour (from Latin alternis horis)
|
| AHD |
arteriosclerotic heart disease
|
| AHF |
antihemophilic factor
|
| AHG |
antihemophilic globulin
|
| AHH |
aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase
|
| AHI |
Apnea-Hypopnea Index[1]
|
| AHR |
airway hyper-reactivity
|
| AHT |
antihyaluronic acid test
|
| AI |
artificial insemination
aortic insufficiency
aromatase inhibitors
|
| AICD |
automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
|
| AID |
artificial insemination by donor
|
| AIDS |
acquired immune deficiency syndrome
|
| AIH |
artificial insemination by husband
|
| AIHA |
autoimmune hemolytic anemia
|
| AIHD |
artificial insemination by pooled husband and donor semen
|
| AIPD |
acute infectious and parasitical diseases
autoimmune progesterone dermatitis
acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
|
| AIIRB |
angiotensin II receptor antagonist
|
| AIN |
allergic interstitial nephritis
|
| AIR |
anterior interval release
acute inpatient rehabilitation
|
| AIS |
adenocarcinoma in situ
androgen insensitivity syndrome
|
| AJCC |
American Joint Committee on Cancer
|
| AjD |
adjustment disorder
|
| AK |
acanthamoeba keratitis
|
| aka |
also known as
|
| AKA |
above-knee amputation
also known as
|
| AKI |
acute kidney injury, previously called Acute Renal Failure (ARF)
|
| ALA |
aminolevulinic acid
|
| ALCAPA |
anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery
|
| ALF |
assisted living facility
|
| ALG |
antilymphocytic globulin
|
| ALI |
acute limb injury
acute lung injury
|
| Alk phos |
alkaline phosphatase (sometimes abbreviated as ALP)
|
| ALL |
acute lymphoblastic leukemia
allergies
|
| ALP |
alkaline phosphatase (sometimes abbreviated as Alk phos)
|
| ALPS |
autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome
|
| ALS |
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as motor neurone disease ('MND), Lou Gehrig's disease or Charcot disease
advanced life support
|
| ALT |
alanine transaminase
|
| ALTE |
apparent life-threatening event
|
| altern. d. |
every other day (from Latin alterno die)
|
| AMA |
advanced maternal age (often defined as 35 years or greater)
against medical advice
antimitochondrial antibody
American Medical Association
|
| Amb |
ambulate
|
| AMC |
arthrogryposis multiplex congenita
|
| AMI |
acute mesenteric ischemia
acute myocardial infarction
|
| AML |
acute myeloid leukemia
|
| AMO |
advanced medical optics
|
| AMP |
adenosine monophosphate
|
| Amp |
ampule
ampere
|
| AMPA receptor |
alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor of the brain
|
| AMS |
acute mountain sickness
atypical measles syndrome
altered mental status
|
| Amt |
amount
|
| ANA |
antinuclear antibody
|
| ANCA |
antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody
|
| AND |
allowing natural death
|
| ANDI |
aberrations of normal development and involution (of breast)
|
| ANF |
atrial natriuretic factor
|
| ANP |
atrial natriuretic peptide
|
| ANS |
autonomic nervous system
|
| Ant |
anterior
|
| Anti- |
refers to an antibody to the suffixed antigen
|
| ANTR |
asymmetrical tonic neck reflex
|
| ANUG |
acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
|
| A&O or A/O |
aware and oriented or alert and oriented
|
| A&Ox3 |
alert and oriented, times 3 (to person, place, and time)
|
| A&Ox4 |
alert and oriented, times 4 (to person, place, time, and circumstances) (often used interchangeably with A&Ox3)
|
| AODM |
adult-onset diabetes mellitus (now called diabetes mellitus type 2)
|
| AOM |
acute otitis media
|
| AOE |
acute otitis externa
|
| a.p. |
before a meal (from Latin ante prandium)
|
| AP |
action potential
alkaline phosphatase
angina pectoris
anteroposterior
apical
area postrema
|
| A&P |
auscultation and percussion
anatomy and physiology
|
| A/P |
anatomy and physiology
assessment and plan
|
| APACHE II |
Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II
|
| APAP |
paracetamol (aka acetaminophen) (from its chemical name, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol)
automatic positive airway pressure
|
| APC |
atrial premature contraction
antigen-presenting cell
activated protein C
argon plasma coagulation
|
| APD |
adult polycystic disease
automated peritoneal dialysis
|
| APKD |
adult polycystic kidney disease
|
| APECED |
autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy
|
| APGAR |
appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respiration (used to assess newborns)
|
| APH |
antepartum haemorrhage
|
| APLS |
antiphospholipid syndrome
|
| APMPPE |
acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy
|
| applic. |
applicandus (Latin meaning "to be applied")
|
| appy |
appendectomy
|
| APP |
as per protocol (e.g., per institutional clinical protocol or per scientific protocol)
|
| APR |
abdominoperineal resection
|
| APS |
autoimmune polyendocrine/polyglandular syndrome
antiphospholipid syndrome
|
| APSAC |
anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex
|
| aPTT |
activated partial thromboplastin time
|
| aq. |
water (from Latin aqua)
|
| aq. bull. |
boiling water (from Latin aqua bulliens)
|
| aq. calid. |
warm or hot water (from Latin aqua calida)
|
| aq. dist. |
distilled water (from Latin aqua distillata)
|
| aq. gel. |
cold water (from Latin aqua gelida)
|
| AR |
aortic regurgitation
attributable risk
|
| ARB |
angiotensin II receptor antagonist
|
| ARBI |
alcohol-related brain injury (such as a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or alcohol-related dementia)
|
| ARC |
AIDS-related complex
|
| ARD |
absolute risk difference
alcohol-related dementia
|
| ARDS |
acute respiratory distress syndrome
|
| ARF |
acute renal failure
|
| ARFID |
avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
|
| Arg |
arginine
|
| ARM |
artificial rupture of membranes (also abbreviated as AROM)
|
| ARMD |
age-related macular degeneration
|
| ARMS |
alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
|
| AROM |
active range of motion
artificial rupture of membranes
|
| ART |
antiretroviral therapy
assuming room temperature (that is, the patient has died)
assisted reproductive technology
|
| ARVC |
arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
|
| ARVD |
arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
|
| AS |
aortic stenosis
atherosclerosis
ankylosing spondylitis
|
| ASA |
acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)
American Society of Anesthesiologists (physical status class)
|
| ASB |
asymptomatic bacteriuria
|
| ASC |
ambulatory surgery center
atypical squamous cells
|
| ASCA |
anti–Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies
|
| ASC-H |
atypical squamous cells—cannot exclude HSIL
|
| ASCAD |
arteriosclerotic coronary artery disease
|
ASCUS
ASC-US |
atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance
|
| ASCVD |
arteriosclerotic vascular disease (arteriosclerosis)
|
| ASD |
atrial septal defect
autism spectrum disorder
|
| ASGUS |
atypical squamous glandular cells of undetermined significance
|
ASH
ASHD |
arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary heart disease)
|
| ASH |
asymmetric septal hypertrophy
alcoholic steatohepatitis
|
| ASIS |
anterior superior iliac spine
|
| ASM |
anti-seizure medication (anticonvulsant)
|
| ASO |
antistreptolysin-O
|
| ASOT |
antistreptolysin-O titre
|
| ASPECTS |
Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, ASPECT Score
|
| Ass |
assessment
|
| AST |
aspartate transaminase
|
| ASX |
asymptomatic
|
| A-T |
ataxia-telangiectasia
|
| AT |
antithrombin
angiotensin
|
| AT-III |
antithrombin III
|
| ATA |
antitransglutaminase antibodies
|
| ATB |
antibiotic
|
| ATCC |
ATCC (company) (formerly the American Type Culture Collection)
|
| ATCP |
atypical chest pain
|
| ATG |
anti-thymocyte globulin
|
| ATLS |
Advanced trauma life support
|
| ATN |
acute tubular necrosis
|
| ATNR |
asymmetrical tonic neck reflex
|
| ATP |
acute thrombocytopenic purpura
adenosine triphosphate
antitachycardia pacing
|
| Atp |
atypical
|
| ATRA |
all-trans retinoic acid
|
| ATS |
antitetanus serum, that is, antitetanus immunoglobulins
|
| AU |
each ear (from Latin auris utraque)
|
| AUC |
area under the curve (pharmacology)
|
| aur. |
ear (from Latin auris)
|
| aur. dextro. |
to right ear (from Latin auris dextrae)
|
| aur. laev |
to left ear (from Latin auris laevae)
|
| aurist. |
ear drops (from Latin auristillae)
|
| AUS |
Artificial urinary sphincter
|
| AV |
arteriovenous
atrioventricular
|
| AVF |
arteriovenous fistula
|
| AVM |
arteriovenous malformation
|
| AVN |
avascular necrosis
atrioventricular node
|
| AVR |
aortic valve replacement
|
| AVSD |
atrioventricular septal defect
|
| afebrile, vital signs stable
|
A&W
A/W |
alive and well
associated with
admitted with
|
| Ax |
axillary
assessment
|
| AXR |
abdominal x-ray
|
| AYA |
adolescents and young adults
|
| AZT |
azidothymidine
|