What it means
Two letters that mean different things in different notes. In blood disorders, PV is polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease that makes too many red blood cells. In liver and imaging reports it is the portal vein. In maternity and gynecology notes, especially outside the US, "PV bleeding" means bleeding per vagina, through the vagina.
For the nurse
Read PV in context, and ask if the meaning is not clear. Write the full words in your own notes.
Related terms
red blood cell
A blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues; also called an erythrocyte.