Medical Abbreviations - Master List

Pre-op:

*NPO--'nothing by mouth,' i.e. "the patient has not had anything to eat" since....
H/O--history of
MH--Malignant Hyperthermia
*PONV--Post-Operative Nausea and Vomiting
Hx--History
*NKDA--No Known Drug Allergy
N/V--Nausea/Vomiting
PO--'by mouth'
ASA--Aspirin (ASA is also the abbreviation for American Society of Anesthesiologists, which appears later on the pre-op)
bid--twice daily
tid--three times daily
qid--four times daily
Dx--Diagnosis
Dz--disease
*PMH--Past Medical History
*PSH--Past Surgical History

*WNL--Within Normal Limits

Blood/Labs/Testing:

WBC--White Blood Cell

*H/H--Hematocrit and Hemoglobin

PLT--Platelet

Na--Sodium

K--Potassium

BUN--Blood Urea Nitrogen

Cr--Creatinine

PT--Prothrombin Time

PTT--Partial Thromboplastin Time

INR--International Normalized Ratio (a ratio of patient's PT versus the normal PT)

*HgB--Hemoglobin
CBC--Complete Blood Count
*RBC--Red Blood Cell
*ABG--Arterial Blood Gas

Pregnancy/Obstetrics:

BTL--Bilateral Tubal Ligation
*LMP--Last Menstrual Period
TAH--Total Abdominal Hysterectomy

HCG--Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (for urine pregnancy test)

Physical Exam:

U/L--Upper/Lower 

*ROM--Range of Motion
TMD--Thyromental Distance
*CTA--Clear to Auscultation
A/P:  Auscultation and Percussion
BBS--Bilateral Breath Sounds
PERRLA--Pupils Equal, Round, Reactive to Light and Accomodation
*A&O x4--Alert and Oriented to person, place, time and event

Neurological:

*TIA--Transient Ischemic Attack (aka mini stroke)

*CVA--Cerebral Vascular Accident (aka stroke)

SNS--Sympathetic Nervous System

PNS--Parasympathetic Nervous System

Cardiovascular:

*HTN--Hypertension

*CAD--Coronary Artery Disease

MVP/MR/AI/AS--Mitral Valve Prolapse, Mitral Regurgitation, Aortic Insufficiency, Aortic Stenosis (all diseases of the various heart valves)

PVD--Peripheral Vascular Disease

MI Hx--Myocardial Infarction history (heart attack history)

*CHF--Congestive Heart Failure

A. Fib--Atrial Fibrillation

A. Flutter--Atrial Flutter

PTCA--Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

STENT--Stent (not an abbreviation)

*Hx CABG--Coronary Artery Bypass Graft history

AICD--Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

RBBB--Right Bundle Branch Block

LBBB--Left Bundle Branch Block

AAA--Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm 

EJ--External Jugular

IJ--Internal Jugular

SA Node--Sino-Atrial Node

Pulmonary:

*COPD--Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

*URI--Upper Respiratory Infection

*CPAP--Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

CXR--Chest X-Ray

*OSA--Obstructive Sleep Apnea

LUL/LLL--Left Upper Lobe/Left Lower Lobe

RUL/RML/RLL--same as above, except right lung has a middle lobe

TV--Tidal Volume

MV--Mechanical Ventilation -or- Minute Ventilation

PFT--Pulmonary Function Test

Gastrointestinal:

*GERD--Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

PUD--Peptic Ulcer Disease

*EGD--Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy 

ERCP--Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-pancreatography

GB--Gallbladder

CBD--Common Bile Duct

IBD--Inflammatory Bowel Disease

TPN--Total Parenteral Nutrition

NG--Nasogastric Tube

Renal:

*UTI--Urinary Tract Infection

BPH--Benign Prostate Hypertrophy

CKD--Chronic Kidney Disease

*ESRD--End Stage Renal Disease

ESWL--Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy

PKD--Polycystic Kidney Disease

PKU--Phenylketonuria

GFR--Glomerular Filtration Rate

TURP--Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

Endocrine:

NIDDM--Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

*IDDM--Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

*DM--Diabetes Mellitus

DI--Diabetes Insipidus

JOD--Juvenile Onset Diabetes

JODM--Juvenile Onset Diabetes Mellitus

AODM--Adult-Onset Diabetes Mellitus

*ADH--Anti-Diuretic Hormone

ACTH--Adrenocorticotropic Hormone

*ACh--Acetylcholine

Assorted Terms:

*GA--General Anesthesia

SAB--Subarachnoid Block

*MAC--Monitored Anesthesia Care

*CVC--Central Venous Catheter

PAC--Pulmonary Artery Catheter

TEE--Transesophageal Echocardiogram

ISB--Interscalene Block

FNB--Femoral Nerve Block

*ASA--American Society of Anesthesiologists

*TIVA--Total Intravenous Anesthetic

GETT--General (anesthetic) by Endotracheal Tube

*ETT--Endotracheal Tube

*LMA--Laryngeal Mask Airway

OPA--Oropharyngeal Airway

NPA--Nasopharyngeal Airway

*NSAID--Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory

*PEEP--Positive-End Expiratory Pressure