Commonly Used Medical Abbreviations

A&O x 3

awake (alert) and oriented to person, place, and time

AAT

activity as tolerated

ABD

abdomen

ABG

arterial blood gas

ABW

actual body weight

ACLS

advanced cardiac life support

ACS

acute coronary syndrome

ADH

anti-diuretic hormone

ADR

adverse drug reaction

AF

atrial fibrillation or afebrile

AFB

acid-fast bacilli

AKI

acute kidney injury

ALT

alanine aminotransferase

AR

aortic regurgitation

ARDS

acute respiratory distress syndrome

ARF

acute renal failure

AS

aortic stenosis

AST

aspartate aminotransferase

AV

atrioventricular

BG

blood glucose

BM

bone marrow or bowel movement

BP

blood pressure

BPH

benign prostatic hypertrophy

BPM

beats per minute

BUN

blood urea nitrogen

BW

body weight or blood work

BX

biopsy

C&S

culture and sensitivity

BS

breath sounds, bowel sounds, or blood sugars

C/O

complaining of

CA

cancer

Ca

calcium

CABG

coronary artery bypass graft

CAD

coronary artery disease

CBC

complete blood count

CC

chief complaint

CF

cystic fibrosis

CHF

congestive heart failure

CN

cranial nerves

CNS

central nervous system

COPD

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

CO

cardiac output

CP

chest pain or cerebral palsy

CK

creatine kinase

CKD

chronic kidney disease

CPR

cardiopulmonary resusitation

CrCl

creatinine clearance

CRF

chronic renal failure

CRP

C-reactive protein

CSF

cerebrospinal fluid

CV

cardiovascular

CVA

cerebrovascular accident or costovertebral angle

CXR

chest x-ray

D5W

5% dextrose in water

DAT

diet as tolerated

DBP

diastolic blood pressure

DDx

differential diagnosis

DM

diabetes mellitus

DNR

do not resuscitate

DNS

do not substitute

DOB

date of birth

DVT

deep vein thrombosis

Dx

diagnosis

ECF

extracellular fluid

ECG/EKG

electrocardiogram

EF

ejection fraction

ENT 

ears, nose, and throat

ETOH

ethanol

FPG

fasting plasma glucose

FEV1

forced expiratory volume in one second

FTT

failure to thrive

FU or F/U

follow-up

FVC 

forced vital capacity

GERD

gastroesophageal reflux disease

GFR

glomerular filtration rate

GI

gastrointestinal

GTT

glucose tolerence test

GU

genitourinary

GYN

gynecology

HA

headache

HAART

highly active antiretroviral therapy

HAV

HBV

HCV

hepatitis A/B/C virus

HD

hemodialysis

HDL

high density lipoprotein

HEENT

head, eyes, ears, nose, throat

Hbg or Hb

hemoglobin

HIV

human immunodeficiency virus

HPI

history of present illness

HR

heart rate

HTN

hypertension

Hx

history

IBW

ideal body weight

ICF

intracellular fluid

ICS

inhaled corticosteroids or intercostal space

ICU

intensive care unit

ID

infectious disease or identification

IDDM

insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

IHD

intermittent hemodialysis

IM

intramuscular

INR

international normalized ratio