Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The US-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requires its members to follow
a "do not use list":[1]
[edit] 0–9
Abbrv. Meaning
Δ Diagnosis; Also can mean "change"
Differential diagnosis, i.e. the list of
ΔΔ possible diagnoses
# Fracture
#NOF Fracture to the neck of the femur
Ψ Psychiatry
Σ Sigmoidoscopy
x/12 x number of months
x/40 x number of weeks of pregnancy
x/52 x number of weeks
x/7 x number of days
5-HT Serotonin, 5-Hydroxytryptamine
[edit] A
[edit] B
Ba Barium
BAL Bronchoalveolar lavage
BAL British anti-Lewisite
BAL Blood Alcohol Level
BAO Basic acid output
BAT Brown adipose tissue
Bacille Calmette-Guerin (a tuberculosis
BCG vaccination)
BCX Blood culture
[edit] C
[edit] D
DA Dopamine
DBP Diastolic blood pressure
D&C Dilatation and curettage
DCBE Double Contrast Barium Enema
DCM Dilated cardiomyopathy
DDD Daily Defined Doses
DDx Differential diagnosis
DEXA Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry
DHE Dihydoergotamine
DHEA-S Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate
DIB Dead in Bed
DIC Disseminated intravascular coagulation
DIP Distal interphalangeal joint
DiPerTe Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus
DiTe Diphtheria Tetanus
DJD Degenerative Joint Disease
DKA Diabetic Keto-Acidosis
DPT Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus
DM Diabetes Mellitus
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNI Do Not Intubate
DNR Do Not Resuscitate
DNAR Do Not Attempt Resusciatation
DOA Dead on arrival
DOB Date of birth
DOE Dyspnea on exertion
Docusate sodium; from the chemical name
DOSS dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate
DT Diphtheria Tetanus
DTP Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis
DUB Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
DVT Deep vein thrombosis
Dx Diagnosis
[edit] E
E Erythrocytes
E Electrolytes
EACA Epsilon-aminocaproic acid
EBM Evidence-based medicine
EBM Expressed Breast Milk
EBV Epstein-Barr virus
EC Enterically Coated
ECG Electrocardiogram
ECMO Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
ED Emergency department
ED Erectile Dysfunction
ED Ectodermal dysplasia
Estimated Date of Confinement (at 40/40
EDC weeks of pregnancy)
Estimated Date of Delivery (at 40/40 weeks of
EDD pregnancy)
EDD Estimated date of discharge
Endothelium-derived relaxing factor aka Nitric
EDRF oxide
EEG Electroencephalogram
EF Ejection Fraction
EGF Epidermal Growth Factor
EKG Electrocardiogram
ELLSCS Elective Lower Segment Caesarian Section
ELISA Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
EMC Encephalomyocarditis
EMD Early Morning Discovery
EMD ElectroMechanical Dissociation
EMF Endomyocardial fibrosis
EMG Electromyography
EMLSCS Emergency Lower Segment Caesarian Section
Early Morning Urine sample (being the most
concentrated generally used for pregnancy
EMU testing)
ENT Ear Nose and Throat. (Otolaryngology)
EENT eyes, ears, nose, throat
EOM Extra ocular muscles
EOMI Extra ocular movements intact
EPH Edema Proteinuria Hypertension
EPO Erythropoietin
Endoscopic Retrograde
ERCP Cholangiopancreatography
Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (also
ESL ESWL) - see lithotriptor
Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase gram
ESBL negative bacteria
ESR Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
ESRD End-stage renal disease
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy
ESWL (also ESL) - see lithotriptor
ET Endothelin
ETT Endotracheal tube
ETOH ethanol or ethyl alcohol
EUS Endoscopic Ultrasonography
[edit] F
[edit] G
[edit] H
HA Hypertonia arterialis
HAD HIV-associated dementia
H/A headache
[edit] I
[edit] J
[edit] K
[edit] L
L Leukocytes
LAD Left Anterior Descending coronary artery
LAP Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase
LAR Low Anterior Resection
LAS Lymphadenopathy syndrome
LBBB Left bundle branch block
LCM Lymphocytic meningitis
LDH Lactate dehydrogenase
LDL Low density lipoprotein
LDL-C Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
L-DOPA DihydrOxyPhenylAlanine
LES Lower esophageal sphincter
LES Lupus erythematosus systemicus
Lupus erythematosus (in German Lupus
LE erythematodes)
leu Leukocytes
LFT Liver function test
LGL Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome
LGM Lymphogranulomatosis maligna
LGV Lymphogranuloma venereum
LH Luteinizing hormone
LIH left inguinal hernia
LLL left lower lobe
LLQ left lower quadrant
LM Left Main
Last Menstrual period (prior to pregnancy and
in woman with regular 28 day cycle taken as
LMP 0/40 weeks of pregnancy)
LOL Little old lady ... often LOL in NAD
[edit] M
[edit] N
[edit] O
O2 Oxygen
OA osteoarthritis
OB-GYN Obstetrics and gynecology
OCD Obsessive-compulsive disorder
OD right eye from Latin, oculus dexter
OD overdose
every day, usually regarded as once daily,
from the Latin, omni die. Generally written
od in lower case.
O/E on examination
OGTT Oral glucose tolerance test
every morning, from the Latin, omni mane.
om Generally written in lower case.
every night, from the Latin, omni nocte.
on Generally written in lower case.
OP outpatient department
OPPT Oriented to Person Place and Time
OS left eye from Latin, oculus sinister
OS Orthopedic surgery
OSA Obstructive Sleep Apnea
OSH outside hospital
OTC Over-the-counter drug
OTD Out the Door (discharged)
OTPP Oriented to Time Place and Person
OU Both eyes, from Latin, oculi uterque
[edit] P
[edit] Q
[edit] R
RA Refractory anaemia
RA Rheumatoid arthritis
RAI Radioactive Iodine
RAPD Relative afferent pupillary defect
RBBB Right bundle branch block
RBC Red blood cells
RCA Right coronary artery
RCT Randomized controlled trial
REM Rapid eye movement
RF Rheumatoid factor
[edit] S
[edit] T
[edit] U
VA visual acuity
VAD vincristine adriblastine dexamethasone
VAMP vincristine adriblastine methylprednisone
V-BAC Vaginal Birth After Caesarian
VC Vital capacity
vCJD Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
VD Vaginal Delivery
Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory
VDRL (old test for syphilis}
VE vaginal examination (manual examination)
VEB Ventricular ectopic beat
VRE Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci
VF Ventricular fibrillation
VIP Vasoactive intestinal peptide
VLDL Very low density lipoprotein
VMA Vanillylmandelic acid
VOD Volume of distribution
VPA Valproic acid
VSD Ventricular septal defect
VT Ventricular tachycardia
[edit] W
[edit] X
x times/for
[edit] Y
[edit] Z
ZIFT Zygote intrafallopian transfer
Some of the following list are considered non-standardized abbreviations because their meanings could be easily
misunderstood.