Abbreviations

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, which accredits surgical technology and surgical assisting programs.

Compressions, airway, breathing: the order of steps the American Heart Association teaches for CPR.

The video tower unit that the endoscopic camera plugs into, which processes its signal into the picture on the monitor.

Using a heart-lung machine to pump and oxygenate the blood outside the body, so the heart can be stopped for surgery.

An abbreviation for cubic centimeter, a unit of volume equal to 1 milliliter.

Cyclic citrullinated peptide: a protein whose antibodies (anti-CCP) are measured in a blood test for rheumatoid arthritis.

A certification for critical care nurses, awarded by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Coronary care unit (also cardiac or critical care unit): a hospital unit for clients with serious heart problems who need close monitoring.

A protein on the surface of helper T cells; a CD4 count measures how many of these immune cells are in the blood.

A marker on the surface of cytotoxic (killer) T cells, the white blood cells that destroy infected and cancer cells; also those cells themselves.

Coronary heart disease, or congenital heart disease, depending on the note.

An ink or strip that changes color when exposed to one or more conditions of a sterilization cycle, such as temperature or steam.

Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol: a scoring tool nurses use to rate how severe a client's alcohol withdrawal is.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a slow-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which too many mature-looking lymphocytes build up.

An abbreviation for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the US agency that runs Medicare, or for a circulation, motor and sensation check.

Certified Nurse Educator: a credential for nursing faculty, awarded by the National League for Nursing.

Certified nurse-midwife: an advanced practice registered nurse trained to care for people through pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to move air out of the lungs.

COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019: an infectious illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale: an 11-item score nurses use to rate how severe opioid withdrawal is.

An abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often cerebral palsy or chest pain.

Continuous positive airway pressure: a steady flow of pressurized air through a mask that keeps the airway open.

Computerized provider order entry: a system in which prescribers enter orders directly into the electronic health record.

An abbreviation for Compazine (prochlorperazine); ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone: a hormone from the hypothalamus that signals the pituitary gland to release ACTH.

Certified registered nurse anesthetist, a registered nurse with critical care experience and advanced education in anesthesia.

Certified Surgical First Assistant, the NBSTSA credential for surgical first assistants.

Certified Surgical Technologist, a credential for surgical technologists; in maternity care, contraction stress test.

Computed tomography angiography: a CT scan with IV contrast dye that shows blood vessels in detail.