Ch. 1 Basics and Abbreviations

combining vowel

a vowel added to make a term easier to pronounce/connect

combining form

a vowel is added to a term (cannot stand alone but has meaning)

a (with a line above it - like a line segment in geometry)

before

AAF

African American female

abd

abdomen

ABX

antibiotic

ad lib

as desired

b.i.d

twice a day

c/o

complains of

CBC

complete blood cell count

consult

consultation

CT

computed tomography

CXR

chest x-ray

DOB

date of birth

ECC/EKG

electrocardiogram

hs

half-strength

ht

height

IV

intravenous

lb

pound

min

minutes

NKDA

no known drug allergies

NPO

nothing by mouth

OR

operating room

OTC

over the counter

OV

office visit

oz

ounce

line segment p

after

postop

after surgery

pre-op

before surgery

pro. time

prothrombin time (blood-clotting test)

pt

patient

PTT

partial thromboplastin time

q

every

Rx

prescription

line segment s

w/o

SOB

shortness of breath

stat

immediately

Sx

symptoms

TanaC

type and crossmatch

t.i.d

three times a day

TPR

temperature, pulse, respiration

UA

urinalysis

ung

ointment

VS

vital signs

WNC

within normal limits

wt

weight

y/o

years old