Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Abbreviation Addition and Comment

I just had to add another abbreviation that we use a lot. Like WB, not typically applicable in human medicine unless you work with "mentally or physically challenged adults" as one of my tech friends who did just that in a former life would say.

HTH: Hard to Handle; this covers a whole gambit of possibilities and we do sometimes use it to refer to the owner more so than the pet...

The other comment I am forced to add is the way abbreviations can mean different things in different context. Not specifically referring to the "official abbreviations" like NPO, PRN, etc. but to abbreviations that we use almost as slang. For instance, in vet school in my notes BM might stand for basement membrane, bowel movement, or bone marrow...it all depended on what class the notes were taken for and what we were discussing. Good thing I can decipher my own Egyptian hieroglyphs since it is a necessity to figure out the abbreviations!

2 comments:

Outrider said...

CTD = Circling the Drain

Don't forget DIC:

1. Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
2. Death Is Coming
3. Dead In Cage

Dr. H said...

NS: nuclear sclerosis
WNL: within normal limits
NSF: no significant findings
BDLD: big dog/little dog, indicates a dog fight vicitim

And, although not restricted to veterinary work, TMI: too much information. Because it seems we all have a client (or two!) who like to share their life story, however inappropriate it may be. :)