Labs, Medical Terminology, and Abbreviations Study Guide

Thoracotomy

Surgical incision into the chest wall.

Colostomy

Establishment of an artificial cutaneous opening into the colon.

Dysphagia

Difficulty in swallowing.

Hemoptysis

The coughing up of blood from the lower respiratory tract.

Stomatitis

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the mouth, characterized by small ulcers covered by a grayish exudate and surrounded by a longer red halo.

Hemiparalysis

Weakness affecting one side of the body.

Paraplegia

Paralysis of both lower extremities and, generally, the lower trunk.

Tachypnea

Rapid breathing (20 breaths/min).

Bradycardia

Slowness of the heartbeat, usually a rate less than 60 beats per minute

Hepatology

The branch of medicine concerned with diseases of the liver.

Neurologist

A specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the neuromuscular system: the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, the neuromuscular junction, and muscle.

Lipoma

A benign neoplasm of adipose tissue, composed of mature fat cells

Hyperglycemia

An abnormally high concentration of glucose in the blood, a feature of diabetes mellitus.

Hypoventilation

Inadequate ventilation resulting in increased CO2 levels in the blood.

Pericarditis

Inflammation of the pericardial sac surrounding the heart.

Pulmonary fibrosis

A chronic condition characterized by scarring of lung tissue that impairs gas exchange.

Erythrocyte

A red blood cell responsible for transporting oxygen and CO2.

Nephrotoxic

Any substance or medication that damages kidney tissue.

ABG

arterial blood gas

AC&HS

before meals and at bedtime

ad lib

as desired

b.i.d. (also seen as BID or bid)

twice a day

BUN

blood urea nitrogen

c/o

complains of

CXR

chest x-ray

DNR

do not resuscitate

DOE

dyspnea on exertion

Dx

diagnosis

ECG (also seen as EKG)

electrocardiogram

ETOH

ethyl alcohol

F/U (also seen as f/u; follow up)

follow up

h/o

history of

Hx (history)

medical history

I&D

incision and drainage

NKDA

no known drug allergies

n.p.o. (also seen as NPO)

nothing by mouth

N/V (also seen as N&V)

nausea and vomiting

p.c.

(post cibum) after a meal

PMH

past medical history

p.o. (also seen as PO)

by mouth

p.r.n. or PRN

as needed

qh

every hour

q2h

every 2 hours

q3h

every 3 hours

QID (also seen as q.i.d.)

four times a day

ROM

range of motion

ROS

review of systems

R/O or r/o

rule out

S/P or s/p

status post

s/sx

signs and symptoms

t.i.d. (also seen as TID)

three times a day

UA or U/A

urinalysis

US

ultrasound

VSS

vital signs stable

WNL

within normal limits

Sodium

135 to 145 mEq/L (SI, 135 to 145 mmol/L)

Potassium

3.5 to 5.2 mEq/L (SI, 3.5 to 5.2 mmol/L).

Calcium

8.8 to 10.4 mg/dL (SI, 2.20 to 2.60 mmol/L).

Glucose

A healthy blood glucose level for someone without diabetes is 70 to 99 mg/dL (3.9 to 5.5 mmol/L).

Chloride

96 to 106 mEq/L (SI, 96 to 106 mmol/L).

BUN

6 to 20 mg/dL (SI, 2.1 to 7.1 mmol/L)

Creatinine

Normal values for men are 0.9 to 1.3 mg/dL (SI, 80 to 115 μmol/L). Normal values for women are 0.6 to 1.1 mg/dL (SI, 53 to 97 μmol/L).

White blood cell count

4.5 to 10.5 × 103 cells/mm3 or × 109/L (SI, 4,500 to 10,500 cells/mm3)

Platelet count

140 to 400 × 103/mm3 (SI, 140 to 400 × 109/L).

Hemoglobin

In adult men, the normal level is 14 to 17.4 g/dL (SI, 140 to 174 g/L). In adult women, the normal level is 12 to 16 g/dL (SI, 120 to 160 g/L).

Hematocrit

In adult men, normal HCT is 42% to 52% (SI, 0.42 to 0.52). In adult women, normal HCT is 36% to 48% (SI, 0.36 to 0.48)

Absolute neutrophil count

1,500 to 7,000/mm3 or 1.5 to 7 × 109/L