What it means
A nanogram is one-billionth of a gram. The unit is used for drug levels such as digoxindih-JOK-sinA drug that makes the heart beat more strongly and more slowly.Full entry (0.8–2.0 ng/mL) and for lab tests such as prostate-specific antigenPROS-tayt spuh-SIF-ik AN-tih-junA protein made by the prostate gland, measured in a blood test to screen for and follow prostate problems.Full entry . In the SI system, 1 ng/mL equals 1 µg/L. ISMP lists "ng" as error-prone: handwritten, it can be misread as "mg" (a million times more) or as NG (nasogastric). In medication orders write "nanogram"; lab reports still print ng/mL.
For the nurse
Read lab results in ng/mL as printed, but write "nanogram" in full in any medication order or record.
At a glance
| Also written | nanograms per milliliter |
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Related terms
digoxin
A drug that makes the heart beat more strongly and more slowly.
prostate-specific antigen
A protein made by the prostate gland, measured in a blood test to screen for and follow prostate problems.