Medical Acronyms / Glossary

AVPU “doorway” assessment to determine initial mental status
Alert (patient eyes are open and track you approaching)
Verbal (responds to you when you speak to them, opens eyes)
Pain (responds to painful stimulus such as shoulder pinch, moans)
Unresponsive (does not respond to painful stimulus, unconscious)

ABCDE primary assessment to find and fix life threats
Airway (clear and patent, no foreign object, swelling or injury)
Breathing (assess ventilation rate, regularity, depth, no adventitious lung sounds)
Circulation (capillary refill Deficit (neuro assessment, answer A+O questions)
Disability (good motor function, good grips and foot movement)
Expose injury (check for major bleeding, DCAP-BTLS, WTD)

A&Ox4 determine pt mental status if able to answer questions
Alert and Oriented to:
Person (pt knows his/her name)
Place (pt knows where they are now)
Time (pt knows the day/date and approximate time of day)
Event (pt knows what happened, last thing they remember)

CMS assessment to verify neurologic function in extremities
Circulation (feel a pulse, good capillary refill)
Motor function (pt can move hand/foot on command)
Sensitivity (pt can feel squeeze on finger/toe)

SAMPLE questions to identify and clarify chief complaint
S signs (what you see…bleeding, deformity) symptoms (what they say is wrong…CC)
A allergies (to medications/environment)
M current medications (specifically anticoagulant/anti-platelet medications)
P pertinent medical history (coronary artery disease, cardiovascular/respiratory disease)
L last oral intake (food/drink to include drugs/alcohol, medications)
E events (leading up to injury/illness…actively skiing, resting in lodge, eating meal)

OPQRST questions to clarify pain, discomfort, distress
O onset…sudden or chronic (e.g., pain, headache, prior injury)
P provocate/palliate (what makes injury/illness better or worse?)
Q quantify (describe the pain/illness)
R radiate (put finger on where it hurts, does the pain radiate anywhere else?)
S severity (rate pain on a 1-10 scale…and is it getting better or worse?)
T time injury occurred or illness came on

DCAP-BTLS
D deformity/dislocation
C contusion (bruise, ecchymosis)
A abrasion, avulsion
P puncture/penetration
B burns
T tenderness
L laceration
S swelling

WTD
W wounds
T tenderness
D deformities

AEIOU TIPS (pneumonic to determine possible causes of altered mental status)
A alcohol, acidosis (diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA)
E endocrine (abnormal hormone production from adrenal, thyroid, pituitary glands) electrolyte imbalance (sodium, potassium) encephalopathy (brain infection, tumor)
I infection (pneumonia, fever, urinary tract infection with fever)
O oxygen (hypoxia) overdose (illegal or prescription medications) opiates (fentanyl, Dilaudid, Oxycontin, Vicodin)
U uremia (high level of waste products in the blood due to kidney disease)
T trauma (brain injury) temperature (hypo-/hyperthermia) thiamine (Vit B1 deficiency)
I insulin (hypoglycemia/hyperglycemia secondary to diabetes)
P poisoning (medication or environmental) psychiatric (behavior emergency)
S stroke, seizure, syncope, space occupying lesions (cancer, abscess) shunt malfunction (fluid build-up in brain)

GCS Glasgow Coma Scale (required for trauma pts)
E eyes - 4
V verbal - 5
M motor function - 6

HEENT (when completing secondary H-T assessment)
Head (bleeding, laceration, depressed skull fracture, edema, abrasion)
Ears (clear fluid coming from ears indicate cerebral spinal fluid from basal skull fracture)
Eyes (check PERRL)
Nose (bleeding, deformity)
Throat (tracheal deviation, JVD)

BEFAST VAN Stroke screen test (determine last known time normal)
Balance - trouble walking, dizzy, loss of coordination
Eyes - loss of vision, trouble seeing, blurred vision
Face - droop, numbness, unequal
Arms - paralysis, numbness, unequal grips, weakness
Speech - slurred words, loss of words, loss of speech
Time - time last normal and time symptoms noticed
Large vessel occlusion test - positive if arm weakness AND any below symptom
Vision - inability to see one or more quadrant AND new double vision or blindness
Aphasia - inability to name two objects AND repeat simple phrase
Neglect - forced gaze to one side AND ignore/unable to feel one side

Glossary
A&P - anatomy and physiology
Abd - abdomen, abdominal
AED - automatic external defibrillator used to analyze and “shock” abnormal heart rhythm
ALS - advanced life support
AMS - acute mountain sickness
AMS - altered mental status
ASA - acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)
BLS - basic life support
BP - blood pressure (systolic over diastolic pressure)
BSI - body substance isolation
BVM - bag-valve mask with Ambu bag used to ventilate pt not breathing adequately
CA - cardiac arrest (heart stops “beating” or beats ineffectively due to trauma, disease)
CC - chief complaint
CHF - congestive heart failure
CNS - central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)
CO - carbon monoxide
CO2 - carbon dioxide
COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation
CVA - cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
DKA - diabetic ketoacidosis (result of prolonged high blood glucose in diabetics)
DM - diabetes mellitus (type 1 or 2 diabetes)
DVT - deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in veins, usually arms or legs)
ECG - electrocardiogram (also EKG)
ED - erectile dysfunction
ED - emergency department of hospital
EMT - emergency medical technician (basic, advanced, paramedic level)
ETOH - ethanol (alcoholic beverages)
H-T - head-to-toe assessment
HACE - high-altitude cerebral edema
HAPE - high-altitude pulmonary edema
HR - heart rate (beats per minute, 60-100 normal, aka PR)
HVS - hyperventilation syndrome
Hx - history
ICS - incident command system
JVD - jugular venous distension
LLQ - left lower quadrant (abdomen)
LOC - loss of consciousness (aka fainting, syncope)
LSB - long spine board
LUQ - left upper quadrant (abdomen)
LZ - landing zone for helicopter
MCI - multiple casualty incident
MDI - metered dose inhaler (medication administration)
mg - milligram
MI - myocardial infarction (heart tissue death, aka “heart attack”)
ml - milliliter (also cubic centimeter, cc)
MOI - mechanism of injury (trauma)
NC - nasal cannula (supplemental oxygen delivery device)
NIMS - national incident management system
NOI - nature of illness (medical)
NPA - nasopharyngeal airway
NPO - nothing by mouth
NRB - non-rebreather mask (supplemental oxygen delivery device)
NSAID - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen)
NSP - National Ski Patrol
NTG - nitroglycerin
O2 - oxygen
OEC - outdoor emergency care
OPA - oropharyngeal airway
PE - pulmonary embolism (blood clot in lungs)
PEA - pulseless electrical activity
PERRL - pupils equal, round, and reactive to light (assess neurological deficit)
POV - privately owned vehicle (transportation v. ambulance transportation)
PPE - personal protective equipment (standard precautions)
PR - pulse rate (beats per minute, 60-100 normal, aka HR)
PRN - take medications as required
Pt - patient
pVT - pulseless ventricular tachycardia (leads to cardiac arrest if not treated)
q - every (5-, 10-, 15-minute intervals)
RBC - red blood cells
RLM - Red Lodge Mountain
RLQ - right lower quadrant (abdomen)
RPM - respiration, perfusion, mental status used in triage to assess patients
RR - respiratory rate (breaths per minute, 12-20 normal)
RUQ - right upper quadrant (abdomen)
S/S - signs (what you see) and symptoms (what they say)
SMR - spinal motion restriction for suspected spinal injury
SOB - short of breath, dyspnea
START - simple triage and rapid treatment
TIA - transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke where symptoms resolve)
VF - ventricular fibrillation (leads to cardiac arrest if not treated)
VT - ventricular tachycardia