Common Nursing and Medical Abbreviations

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering medical and nursing abbreviations from the lecture transcript.

c/o

complains of

h/o

history of

pmHx

past medical history

s/s

signs and symptoms

VSS

vital signs stable

WNL

within normal limits

Pt

patient

Dx

Diagnosis

Fx

fracture

Cx

contraction

Sx

symptom

Rx

prescription

Tx

treatment

PRN

as needed or when necessary

Stat

immediately

d/c

discontinue/discharge

a.c.

before meals

h.s.

before bed

b.i.d.

twice a day

t.i.d.

three times a day

q.i.d.

four times a day

q2h

every 2 hours

IV

intravenous

IM

intramuscular

SC

subcutaneous

PO

by mouth

gtt

drops per minute

NPO

nothing by mouth

OTC

over the counter

SR

sustained release

EC

enteric coated

N/V/D

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

CABG

coronary artery bypass graft

GTT

glucose tolerance test

ABG

Arterial blood gas

ABX

Antibiotics

AKI

Acute kidney injury

AMA

Against medical advice

BM

Bowel movement

BP

Blood pressure

BPM

Beats per minute

BUN

Blood urea nitrogen

CAD

Coronary artery disease

CHF

Congestive heart failure

CKD

Chronic kidney disease

CNS

Central nervous system

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder

DM

Diabetes mellitus

HTN

Hypertension

MI

Myocardial infarction (heart attack)

UTI

Urinary tract infection

LMP

Last menstrual period

NKA or NKDA

“No known allergies” or “no known drug allergies”

CBC

Complete blood count

RBC

Red blood cell

WBC

White blood cell

Hgb

Hemoglobin

ECG/EKG

Electrocardiogram

EEG

Electroencephalogram

GFR

Glomerular filtration rate

HR

Heart rate

PT

Prothrombin time

PTT

Partial thromboplastin time

R/O

Rule out

LLQ

Left lower quadrant

LUQ

Left upper quadrant

RLQ

Right lower quadrant

RUQ

Right upper quadrant

c̄ (The letter ‘c’ with a bar over it)

With