The following list contains some of the most common abbreviations found in medical records. Please note that in medical terminology, the capitalization of letters bears significance as to the meaning of certain terms, and is often used to distinguish terms with similar acronyms.
@—at
A & P—anatomy and physiology ab—abortion abd—abdominal
ABG—arterial blood gas
a.c.—before meals ac & cl—acetest and clinitest
ACLS—advanced cardiac life support
AD—right ear
ADL—activities of daily living ad lib—as desired adm—admission afeb—afebrile, no fever
AFB—acid-fast bacillus
AKA—above the knee alb—albumin alt dieb—alternate days (every other day) am—morning AMA—against medical advice amal—amalgam amb—ambulate, walk
AMI—acute myocardial infarction amt—amount ANS—automatic nervous system ant—anterior AOx3—alert and oriented to person, time, and place
Ap—apical
AP—apical pulse approx—approximately aq—aqueous
ARDS—acute respiratory distress syndrome
AS—left ear
ASA—aspirin
asap (ASAP)—as soon as possible as tol—as tolerated
ATD—admission, transfer, discharge
AU—both ears
Ax—axillary
BE—barium enema bid—twice a day bil, bilateral—both sides
BK—below knee
BKA—below the knee amputation bl—blood bl wk—blood work
BLS—basic life support
BM—bowel movement
BOW—bag of waters
B/P—blood pressure bpm—beats per minute
BR—bed rest
BRP—bathroom privileges
BS—breath sounds
BSI—body substance isolation
BSO—bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
BUN—blood, urea, nitrogen levels
BVM—bag-valve-mask
bx—biopsy c—with C & S—culture and sensitivity c-spine—cervical spine
CA—cancer
CAD—coronary artery disease cal—calorie CAT—computerized axial tomography cath—catheter CBC—complete blood count cc—cubic centimeters
CC—chief complaint
CCU—coronary care unit, critical care unit
CHD—coronary heart disease
CHF—congestive heart failure