This document contains a list of 200 common medical abbreviations and their translations. It provides the abbreviation, the translation of the abbreviation, and a brief definition or explanation for several of the entries. The purpose is to serve as a reference for interpreting frequently used medical abbreviations.

1. Sl No ABBREVATION TRANSLATION
1 /7 Days
2 /52 Weeks
3 /40 Weeks Gestation
4 /12 Months
5 + / ++ / +++ Present or Noted / Present Significantly / Present in Excess
6 = Equivalent to
7 AAA Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
8 ABG Arterial Blood Gas also "Sats"
9 ACEI Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitor
10 ACL Anterior Cruciate Ligament
11 A/E Air Entry to Lungs
12 A&E Accident and Emergency
13 AF Atrial Fibrillation
14 ARB Angiotensin Receptor Blocker
15 ASD Atrial Septal Defect
16 AXR Abdominal X-Ray
17 bd/bid Twice a Day
18 BCC Basal Cell Carcinoma
19 BFZ Bendroflumethiazide
20 BMI Body Mass Index
21 BNO Bowels Not Opened
22 BO Bowels Open
23 BP Blood Pressure
24 DBP Diastolic Blood Pressure
25 SBP Systolic Blood Pressure
26 CABG/S or CAG/S Coronary Artery (Bypass) Graft/Surgery
27 CCB Calcium Channel Blocker
28 CFS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
29 CHD Coronary Heart Disease
30 CNS Central Nervous System
31 C/o Complains of
32 COAD Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease (COPD preferred)
33 COCP Combined Oral Contraceptive
34 COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
35 Cr Creatinine
36 CSU Catheter specimen of urine
37 CT Computerised Axial Tomography
38 CTG Cardiotocograph
39 CVA Cerebrovascular Accident
40 CVD Cardiovascular Disease
41 CVS Cardiovascular System
42 CX or Cx Cervix
43 CXR Chest X-ray
44 D&V Diarrhoea and Vomiting

2. 45 D/H Drug History
46 DIP, PIP Dorsal/proximal interphalangeal joints
47 DLE Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
48 DM Diabetes Mellitus
49 DNA Did Not Attend
50 DNAR Do Not Attempt Resuscitation
51 DVT Deep Vein Thrombosis
52 DXT Deep X-ray Treatment
53 ECG Electrocardiograph
54 EEG Electroencephalogram
55 ENT Ear, Nose & Throat
56 EPAU Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit
57 ESR Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
58 FBC Full Blood Count
59 FBG Fasting Blood Glucose
60 F/H or FH Family History
61 FHH/R Foetal Heart Heard/Regular
62 FRH Freeman Road Hospital
63 FROM Full Range of Movement
64 FTND Full Term Normal Delivery
65 GCS Glasgow Coma Scale
66 GI or GIT Gastro Intestinal/Tract
67 GORD Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease
68 GUT or GUS Genito Urinary Tract/ System
69 GUM Genito-Urinary Medicine
70 Hb Haemoglobin
71 HI Head Injury
72 HNPU Has Not Passed Urine
73 HR Heart Rate
74 HS Heart Sounds
75 Ht Height
76 Hx History (of complaint)
77 IBD Irritable Bowel Disease
78 IBS Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome
79 IGT Impaired Glucose Tolerance
80 IGTN In Growing Toenail
81 IMB Intermenstrual Bleeding
82 IOP Intra-ocular Pressure
83 IUCD Intra-uterine contraceptive device
84 IUD Intra-uterine death
85 IUS Intra-uterine system
86 IVP Intravenous Pyelogram
87 Ix Investigations
88 JVP Jugular Venous Pressure
89 K+ Potassium

3. 90 KUB Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder (xray)
91 LFT Liver Function Test
92 LIF Left Iliac Fossa
93 LIH Left Inguinal Hernia
94 LOC Loss of Consciousness
95 LN Lymph Node
96 LP Lumbar puncture
97 L/R/ IH Left or Right Inguinal Hernia
98 LSCS Lower (Uterine) Segment Caesarean section
99 LUQ Left Upper Quadrant
100 LVDD Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction
101 LVSD Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction
102 Mane In the Morning
103 MAU Medical Admissions Unit
104 MCV Mean Corpuscular Volume
105 ME Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome preferred)
106 MET/S Metastases
107 MI Myocardial infarction (NSTEMI or STEMI preferred)
108 MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging
109 MS Multiple Sclerosis (Write in full: Mitral Stenosis)
110 MSK Musculo-Skeletal System
111 MSE Mental State Examination
112 MSU Mid-Stream Urine Sample (for culture and sensitivity)
113 MTX Methotrexate
114 Na+ Sodium
115 NAD Nothing Abnormal Discovered
116 NBI No Bone Injury
117 Nocte At Night
118 NSTEMI Non ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction
119 N&V Nausea & Vomiting
120 OA Osteoarthritis
121 o.d. Once a Day
122 O/E On Examination
123 OGD Oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy
124 OGTT Oral Glucose Tolerance Test
125 on At Night (when written next to medication dosing only)
126 om In the Morning (when written next to medication dosing only)
127 OM Otitis Media
128 ORIF Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (of fracture)
129 otc Over the counter (bought medication)
130 P Pulse
131 PAD Peripheral Arterial Disease
132 PCB Post Coital Bleeding
133 PE Pulmonary Embolism
134 PERLA Pupils equal and reacting to light and accommodation

4. 135 PF / PEFR Peak Flow / peak expiratory flow rate
136 Plt Platelets
137 PM Post mortem examination
138 PMB Post menstrual Bleeding
139 PMH also PHx Previous Medical History
140 PND Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnoea
141 PO Per Orim (by mouth)
142 POP Progesterone Only Pill
143 PR Per Rectum
144 PRN As Required
145 PTCA Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
146 PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
147 PU Peptic Ulcer OR Passed urine
148 PV Per Vagina
149 PVD Peripheral Vascular Disease
150 qds (or) qid Four times a day
151 QEH Queen Elizabeth Hospital
152 Resp / RR Respiration (Rate)
153 RA Rheumatoid Arthritis
154 RDS Respiratory Distress Syndrome
155 RIF Right Iliac Fossa
156 RIH Right Inguinal Hernia
157 R/LIF Right/Left Iliacfossa
158 RS Respiratory System
159 RSI Repetitive Strain Injury
160 RTA Road Traffic Accident (write renal tubular acidosis in full) Note that
whilst Road traffic accident is in common use, RTC is the preferred
term.
161 RTC Road Traffic Crash
162 RUQ Right Upper Quadrant
163 RVI Royal Victoria Infirmary
164 Rx Prescription or Treatment
165 SBG Serum Blood Glucose
166 SLR Straight Leg Raising
167 SMR Submucosal Resection
168 SOB Short of Breath
169 SR Sinus rhythm
170 SRH Sunderland Royal Hospital
171 Stat Immediately
172 STD Sexually Transmitted Disease
173 STEMI ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction
174 STI Sexually Transmitted Infection
175 SVD Spontaneous Vertex Delivery
176 Sx Symptoms
177 SkXR Skull X-ray

5. 178 T Temperature
179 TATT Tired all the Time
180 TB Tuberculosis
181 TCI To come in-date or fact that a person is due to be admitted to hospital
182 tds (or) tid Three Times a Day
183 TFTs Thyroid Function Test
184 THR Total Hip Replacement
185 TIA Transient Ischaemic Attack
186 TKR Total Knee Replacement
187 TM Tympanic Membrane
188 TOP (MTOP/STOP) Termination of pregnancy (Medical ~ / Surgical~)
189 TShR Total Shoulder Replacement
190 TURP/T Transurethral resection of Prostate / (Bladder) Tumour
191 UC Ulcerative Colitis
192 U&Es Urea and Electrolytes
193 USS Ultra Sound Scan
194 UTI Urinary Tract Infection
195 VF Ventricular Fibrillation
196 VT Ventricular Tachycardia
197 VTE Venous Thromboembolism
198 wbc White Blood Cell Count
199 Wd Ward
200 Wt Weight