Abbreviations

An abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often premature atrial contraction or pulmonary artery catheter.

The partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood, measured in a blood gas test.

Post-anesthesia care unit: the area where clients are watched closely as they wake up after surgery.

An abbreviation that most often means peripheral artery disease, a narrowing of the arteries outside the heart and brain.

The partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood: a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the blood, from an arterial blood gas.

Powered air-purifying respirator: a respirator with a battery fan that pushes filtered air into a hood or mask.

A memory aid for using a fire extinguisher: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, Sweep the spray side to side.

The large adhesive pad that collects electrosurgical current from the patient and carries it back to the generator in monopolar electrosurgery.

An abbreviation with several meanings: most often primary care provider, but also a type of pneumonia or the street drug phencyclidine.

Polymerase chain reaction: a lab method that copies tiny amounts of genetic material so a germ or a gene can be detected.

An abbreviation with more than one meaning, most often Parkinson disease or peritoneal dialysis.

An abbreviation that most often means pulmonary embolism; it can also mean physical examination or pleural effusion.

An abbreviation that can mean a feeding tube placed through the belly into the stomach, or the laxative polyethylene glycol.

Latin for "by mouth"; a way of writing the oral route that should not be used.

Pupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation: charting shorthand for a normal pupil exam.

Picograms per milliliter: a unit for very small amounts of a substance in a fluid.

Doctor of Philosophy: the highest research degree; in nursing, a doctorate focused on research.

A drug reference, updated every year, that collects the makers' prescribing information for thousands of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Peripherally inserted central catheter: a long, thin IV tube put into an arm vein with its tip in a large vein near the heart.

An abbreviation for Pitocin (oxytocin); ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

An abbreviation for past medical history; in mental health, it can mean psychiatric-mental health.

Point of maximal impulse: the spot on the chest wall where the heartbeat can be felt most strongly.

An abbreviation with two common meanings: parenteral nutrition, or practical nurse.

An abbreviation for prenatal vitamins; ISMP advises writing the full name.

A medical order form, signed by a provider and the client, that states the client's wishes about life-sustaining treatment.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting: nausea, retching or vomiting after surgery and anesthesia.

Preferred provider organization, a network of providers who agree to treat an insurer's members at a reduced, agreed rate.

Preterm premature rupture of membranes: the amniotic sac breaks before 37 weeks of pregnancy and before labor starts.

An abbreviation most often meaning per rectum (by way of the rectum); on an ECG it names the PR interval.

As needed: an order for a drug or treatment to be given only when the client needs it, within set limits.

A test pack built to be hard to sterilize, holding a biological or chemical indicator, used to challenge a sterilizer cycle.

An abbreviation with two common meanings: prelabor (premature) rupture of membranes, or passive range of motion.

Health information that can identify a patient, which HIPAA's Privacy Rule protects in every form: spoken, on paper or electronic.

An abbreviation with two common meanings: physical therapy (or therapist), or prothrombin time, a blood clotting test.

A short form of propylthiouracil, an antithyroid drug; ISMP advises writing the full drug name.

An abbreviation with several meanings, such as polycythemia vera, portal vein, or per vagina (through the vagina).