Abbreviations and Acronyms of the Cardiovascular System

The following list contains abbreviations and acronyms you will often encounter for cardiovascular system diagnoses, drugs, and procedures. Refer to the textbook for more information about these abbreviations and acronyms.

AAA

Abdominal aortic aneurysm

AED

Automated external defibrillator

AMI

Acute myocardial infarction

BP

Blood pressure

CABG (pronounced "cabbage")

Coronary artery bypass graft

CAD

Coronary artery disease

CCU

Coronary care unit

CHF

Congestive heart failure

CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

ECG or EKG

Electrocardiogram

Echo

Echocardiogram

HDL

High-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol)

HTN

Hypertension

ICD

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

LDL

Low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol)

MI

Myocardial infarction

PVD

Peripheral vascular disease