The Acronym List

This is a list of abbreviations commonly used on this forum and in the afib world in general. It's meant to be authoritative and reliable so it will be curated carefully.

You can add an entry by just posting and telling us what the abbreviation is and what it means. If you think something suggested or something already here is wrong, reply and say why it's wrong. Once we've reached consensus on what's right and wrong, all the discussion will be deleted and the master list will be updated to reflect the consensus.

THE LIST:

AAM/AAD - Antiarrhythmic medication/drug
AF - atrial fibrillation
AFL - atrial flutter
BB - beta blocker
BID - twice daily (meds)
BP - blood pressure
BPM - beats per minute
CCB - calcium channel blocker
ECV - electrocardioversion, or more commonly cardioversion
FLEC - flecainide
HR - heart rate
LAF - lone afib (obsolete term)
NSR - normal sinus rhythm
OSA - Obstructive sleep apnea
PAC - premature atrial contraction
PFA - pulsed field ablation
PIP - pill in pocket
PO - by mouth
PRN - as needed
PVC - premature ventricular contraction
QD - once daily (meds)
RVR - rapid ventricular response
SVT - supraventricular tachycardia
TEE - transesophageal echocardiogram
TID - three times daily (meds)
VF/VFIB - Ventricular fibrillation
VT/VTACH - Ventricular tachycardia
WNL - within normal limits


* Note that some acronyms are traditionally written in lowercase (eg, bid, tid, qd, prn), but for consistency all are listed here in all caps. It doesn't change the meaning.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2024 03:12PM by Carey.

Okay, my bad...I myself neglected to add anything. Sheesh.........

Carey, it may not be a great fit, but OSA is a problematic progenitor for AF. Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Equally insidious, more-so if its complex (meaning coupled with obstructive), is CA, or Central Apnea. Maybe the designated initialism should just be OSA, but the descriptor can have a brief mention "...that sometimes it is accompanied with Central Apnea where the brain doesn't detect rises in CO3 concentration properly and the patient ceases to breathe for extended periods."

OSA added, but if I see CA on this forum I would assume it means catheter ablation, so I think that's problematic as an acronym.

Agreed. Thanks, Carey.

Hello

Just suggestions, based on my experience last week:

TEE: TransEsophageal Echocardiogram

SVT: SupraVentricular Tachycardia

CV: CardioVersion

TEE and SVT added, also ECV, which is the usual acronym for (electro)cardioversion.