Slang and Jargon
Terms
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- a-fib, A-fib, or AFib
-
atrial fibrillation
(a severe cardiac arrhythmia) - alk phos
-
alkaline phosphatase
(a lab value for a chemical in the blood) - appy
-
appendectomy or appendicitis
(excision of the appencix or infection/inflammation of the appendix) - bicarb
-
bicarbonate
(one of the electrolytes, w/sodium, potassium, & chloride) - bili
-
bilirubin
(a lab value for the liver function testing) - CBC with diff
-
complete blood count
Diff= the percentages of different types of white cells in the blood - caps
- capsules
- cath
-
catheter
(a tube or the placement of tubes in the body) - chemo
-
chemotherapy
(treatment with chemical compounds, usually referring to cancer regimens) - chole
-
cholecystectomy
(excision of the gallbladder) - crit
-
hematocrit
(test for packed red cells in the blood) - DC and DC'd
- discontinue or discharge, DC'd=past tense
- detox
-
detoxification
(treatment for acute alcohol abuse or other overuse) - dig sesta
-
dipyridamole sestamibi
(a nuclear x-ray exam) - double J stent
-
JJ stent
(a surgical device for keeping tubes in place) - echo
-
echocardiogram
(recording of heart function by analyzing sound waves) - eos
-
esoinophils
(white blood cells that are part of the CBC with differential) - exam
- examination
- flex sig
-
flexible sigmoidoscopy
(inspection of the sigmoid, with a flexible endoscopic instrument) - Foley
-
Foley catheter
(a catheter commonly used during surgical procedures for draining urine from the bladder) - HCTZ
-
hydrochlorothiazide
(the medication for the hypertension and edema) - hep C (A, B)
-
hepatitis C (A, B)
(liver disease characterized by infection and inflammation) - K
-
potassium
(the chemical symbol for the element potassium. This is an acceptable usage.) - KCI
-
potassium chloride
(the chemical formula for potassium chloride, often given to cardiac patients whose potassium is depleted by diuretic medications such as Lasix. This is an acceptable usage.) - lac
-
laceration
(a cut produced by trauma) - lymphs
-
lymphocytes
(another type of white blood cell included in the CBC with differential) - mag
-
magnesium
( a chemical in the blood, also a medication given for some mendical conditions, such as alcohol overdose) - meds
- medication
- mets
-
metastases, singular met/ metastasis
(the spread of malignant neoplasm -cancer- from the primary site to one or more secondary sites) - migs
- milligrams, written as mg
- mikes
- micrograms, written as mcg (smaller than migs)
- monos
-
monocytes
(white blood cells that are a part of the CBC w/ differential - nebs
-
nebulizers
(an aerated form of medications given for pulmonary problems such as asthma) - neuro
-
neurological or neurology
(referring to the medical specialty or to the part of the physical exam that evaluates neurologic or central nervous system function) - neuropsych
- neuropyschological(study of the combination of neurology and psychology)
- O2 sat
-
oxygen saturation
(the amount of oxygen present in the blood measured by pulse oximetry) - path
- pathology
- perf
-
perforation
(a hole, as in a perforated eardrum or perforated bowel) - preop
-
preoperative
(before an operation) - postop
-
postoperative
(after an operation) - prepped
-
prepared
( a short form commonly used in surgical reports) - psych
-
psychiatry, psychology
(the specialties that address the mind and mental processes) - pulse ox
-
pulse oximetry
(the process of determining oxygen saturation by use of machine measurments) - regurg
- regurgitation
- rehab
- rehabilitation
- sat
-
saturation
(a measure of the degree to which oxygen is bound to the hemoglobin in the blood, given as a percentage, and reflecting pulmonary function) - sed rate
-
sedimentation rate
(a laboratory value related to the action of red blood cells) - segs
-
segmented neutrophils
(white blood cells that are part of the CBC differnetial) - t.bili
-
total bilirubin
( a bile pigment that is measured in liver function studies) - tabs
- tablets
- triple A
-
abdominal aortic aneurysm
(AAA, a cardiovascular anomaly) - V-tach
-
ventricular tachycardia
(an increased ventricular heart rate) - voc rehab
-
vocational rehabilitation
(rehabilitation for those who need to retrain in a former or new vocation due to illness or injury) - dig
-
digoxin or digitalis
(medication for cardiac problems)