Chapter 13J -Abbreviations

Phil TrainiApril 9th, 2014

Medical Terminology

Abbreviations• Are commonly used in the medical field to save time.

• Many types of medical facilities have lists of approved abbreviations in order to keep all staff on the same page in regards to abbreviations.

• Sometimes one abbreviation can have more than one meaning, so it is very important to make sure of your medical facilities list of approved abbreviations.

• The following slides are answers to posted abbreviations and a brief description of what the abbreviation pertains to.

PE tube• Pressure equalizing tube

• Tiny cylinders made of plastic or metal surgically inserted into the eardrum.

• It is provided to allow ventilation to the middle ear stopping the buildup of accumulation of fluids in the eardrum.

• This is commonly given to children who suffer from chronic ear infections.

EENT• Eyes, ears, nose, throat

• This one is pretty self explanatory but can definitely save time with abbreviation.

• This could definitely come in handy when making an assessment of a patient when time is of the essence.

• Checking of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat is common during trauma assessments and even in regular checkups, so I would assume that this is an abbreviation that is used very often.

BC• Bone conduction

• This refers to the conduction of sound to the inner ear from the bones of the skull.

• Some devices amplify bone conduction to help those with hearing impairments

• Bone conduction is also why sometimes our own voice sounds different to ourselves then others, because we have the resonance of bone conduction altering our perceptions of our voice.

• Bone conduction implants sometimes also used in cochlear implants are used for the hearing impaired (diagram to the right)

• Cochlear implants are extremely controversial in the deaf community.

AU• Both ears

• Just another abbreviation for quick assessment

• Be it a trauma assessment

• A regular checkup

• Or other medical record

• An example could be a presence of CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) discharge from AU (both ears)

OM

• Otitis Media

• It is the inflammation of the inner ear.

• This is typically caused by an infection of bacteria or viruses.

• Generally occurs in children, and one of the treatments can be the use of PE tubes.

• Other treatments can include the use of ear drops to relieve the pain and the use of antibiotics to destroy the bacteria causing the infection.

EM• Emmetropia

• This term basically refers to perfect vision.

• Technically it is the state in which the eye is completely relaxed and has a general focal point of 6 meters or 20 feet.

• When in this state with perfect vision no accommodation of the lens is needed.

XT• Exotropia

• This is a state in which the eyes deviate outward as opposed to their normal inward direction.

• This can have a negative impact on the eyes ability to discern the depth of objects.

• Sometimes exotropia is a temporary condition but other times it is permanent.

• Depending on the severity of the exotropia sometime visual exercises can mediate the problem, but for the more severe cases sometimes surgery is the only option.

OS• Left Eye

• This is another straight forward abbreviation.

• The abbreviation makes it much easier when writing out a report or making quick notes on a medical exam.

• OS is actually derived from the word “Oculus Sinister” which is another term for the left eye

EOM• Extra-ocular movement

• Extra-ocular movement is often utilized during an eye exam or during an assessment.

• The test consists of having the patient look in all directions without moving their head.

• This tests for dysfunctions in the muscles of the eye and also any issues of the cranial nerves mainly the ocular, trochlear, and abducens.

VA• Visual Acuity

• This is another test of the eye that judges the eyes ability to see objects near and far.

• One of the more well known tests. Utilizes letters, shapes, and symbols for the test.

• Is often given typically with an eye exam to determine if the patient is in need of any corrective lenses.

References

• Fremgen, Bonnie F., and Suzanne S. Frucht. Medical Terminology: A Living Language. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.

• Extra-ocular movements (www.neuroexam.com)

• Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.org)

• Medscape (www.medscape.com)

• Webmd (www.webmd.com)