| Abbreviation | Meaning |
| c̅ | (c with an overbar) with (from Latin cum) means with |
| C | cytosine
cervical vertebrae |
| C1 | atlas – first cervical vertebra of the spine |
| C2 | axis – second cervical vertebra of the spine |
| CA | carcinoma
cancer |
| Ca | calcium
carcinoma
cancer |
| CAA | coronary artery aneurysm |
| c/b | complicated by |
| CABG | coronary artery bypass graft (pronounced "cabbage") |
| CABP | coronary artery bypass procedure |
| CAD | coronary artery disease |
| CADASIL | cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy |
| CAG | coronary artery graft
coronary angiography |
| CAGE | cut down, annoyed, guilty, eye opener (screening for alcoholism) |
| CAGS | coronary artery graft surgery |
| cAMP | cyclic adenosine monophosphate |
| CAH | chronic active hepatitis
congenital adrenal hyperplasia |
| CAKUT | congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract, see bladder outlet obstruction |
| CALLA | common acute lymphocytic leukemia antigen |
| CALM | café au lait macules |
| CAM | cell adhesion molecule
complementary and alternative medicine |
| CAMP | cyclic adenosine monophosphate |
| CAP | community-acquired pneumonia |
| CAPD | continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis |
| CAO | conscious, alert, and oriented (no altered level of consciousness) |
| CaOx | calcium oxalate |
| Caps | capsule |
| CAT / CT | computed axial tomography / computed tomography |
| Cath | catheter |
| CAUTI | Catheter-associated urinary tract infection |
| CBA | cost–benefit analysis (of treatment methods) |
| CBC/DIFF | complete blood count/differential |
| CBD | common bile duct |
| CBE | clinical breast examination |
| CBF | cerebral blood flow |
| CBI | continuous bladder irrigation, as in Hematuria (Acute clot retention) |
| CBS | chronic brain syndrome |
CC
cc | cubic centimeter (use ml instead—see the list of abbreviations used in prescriptions)
chief complaint
cardiac catheter
carbon copy
closing capacity |
| CCA | clear cell adenocarcinoma |
| CCB | calcium channel blocker |
| CCCU | critical coronary care unit |
CCE
C/C/E | clubbing, cyanosis, and edema (general signs of cardiovascular disease) |
| CCG | Clinical commissioning group |
| CCF | congestive cardiac failure |
| CCK | cholecystokinin |
| CCK-PZ | cholecystokinin-pancreozymin |
| CCNS | cell cycle–nonspecific [drug] (a type of drug used in chemotherapy) |
| CCOC | clear cell odontogenic carcinoma |
| CCOT | calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor (formerly called calcifying odontogenic cyst) |
| CCP | cyclic citrullinated peptide |
| CCR | cardiocerebral resuscitation |
| CCU | coronary care unit
critical care unit |
| CD | Celiac disease
Crohn's disease
chemical dependency
cluster of differentiation
controlled delivery |
| CDAD | Clostridioides difficile–associated diarrhoea |
| CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| CDH | congenital dislocated hip |
| CDI | central diabetes insipidus
Clostridioides difficile infection
cool, dry, intact (when referring to incision/surgical sites) or clean, dry, intact when referring to bandages/dressings |
| CDMR | caesarean delivery on maternal request |
| CDP | cytosine diphosphate |
| CDR | cutaneous drug reaction |
| CEA | carcinoembryonic antigen
carotid endarterectomy
cost-effectiveness analysis |
| CEIOL | cataract extraction with intraocular lens placement |
| CF | cystic fibrosis |
| CFA | complement-fixing antibody
colonization factor antigen |
| CFIDS | chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome |
| CFR | case fatality rate |
| CFS | chronic fatigue syndrome |
| CFT | complement fixation test
capillary filling time |
| CFTR | cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator |
| CFU | colony-forming unit |
| CGD | chronic granulomatous disease |
| CGI | Clinical global impression (including subscales such as CGI-BP, CGI-C, CGI-E, CGI-I, CGI-S) |
| cGMP | cyclic guanosine monophosphate |
| CGN | chronic glomerulonephritis |
| CH | congenital hypothyroidism |
| CHC | combined hormonal contraceptive |
| CHD | chronic heart disease
congenital heart defect
coronary heart disease |
| ChE | cholinesterase |
| CHEM-7 | a group of blood tests, commonly called a basic metabolic panel (blood urea nitrogen, carbon dioxide, creatinine, glucose, serum chloride, serum potassium, serum sodium) |
| CHEM-20 | a group of blood tests (albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, calcium – serum, serum chloride, carbon dioxide, creatinine, direct bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, glucose test, lactate dehydrogenase, phosphorus – serum, potassium test, serum sodium, total bilirubin, total cholesterol, total protein, uric acid) |
| CHE | cholinesterase |
| CHF | congestive heart failure
continuous hemofiltration |
| CHIP | clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential |
| CHO | carbohydrate |
| CHOP | cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin (a.k.a. hydroxydaunorubicin), vincristine(a.k.a. Oncovin), prednisone (chemotherapy regimen) |
| Chol | cholesterol |
| CHS | cannulated hip screw |
| CHT | congenital hypothyroidism |
| CI | confidence interval
cardiac index |
| CIB | cibus (food) |
| CICU | cardiac intensive care unit |
| CIDP | chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy |
| CIMF | chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis |
| CIN | cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, contrast-induced nephropathy |
| CINV | Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting |
| Circ | circumcision
circulation |
| CIS | carcinoma in situ |
| CIVI | continuous intravenous infusion |
| CIWA | Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol |
| CJD | Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease |
| CK | creatine kinase (formerly CPK) |
| CKD | chronic kidney disease |
| CKMB | MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase |
| Cl | chlorine
clearance |
| CLABSI | central line-associated bloodstream infections, see central venous catheter |
| CLARE | contact lens acute red eye |
| CLL | chronic lymphocytic leukemia |
| CLN | cervical lymph node |
| CLND | cervical lymph node dissection
complete lymph node dissection |
| CLP | cleft lip and palate |
| CLS | capillary leak syndrome |
| CM | Chirurgiae Magister, Master of Surgery (British and Commonwealth countries medical degree)
Caucasian male
cardiomyopathy |
| CMD | cystic medial degeneration |
| CME | continuing medical education |
| CML | chronic myelogenous leukemia, also called chronic myeloid leukaemia |
| CMML | chronic myelomonocytic leukemia |
| CMO | comfort measures only (palliative care or hospice) |
| CMP | complete metabolic profile (a blood panel)
cytosine monophosphate |
| CMS | Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
chronic mountain sickness |
| CMT | cervical motion tenderness
Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease |
| CMV | cytomegalovirus |
| CN | cranial nerves |
| CNS | central nervous system
Clinical nurse specialist
Crigler–Najjar syndrome |
| CNVM | Choroidal Neovascular Membranes |
| C/O or c/o | complains of... |
| CO | cardiac output
carbon monoxide
complains of... |
| COAD | chronic obstructive airways disease |
| COCP | combined oral contraceptive pill |
| COH | controlled ovarian hyperstimulation |
| COLD | chronic obstructive lung disease |
| Comp | compound |
| Conj | conjunctiva |
| CoNS | coagulase-negative staphylcocci |
| COP | cryptogenic organizing pneumonitis |
| COPD | chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| CO2 | carbon dioxide |
| COVID | coronavirus disease |
| COX-1 | cyclooxygenase 1 |
| COX-2 | cyclooxygenase 2 |
| COX-3 | cyclooxygenase 3 |
| CP | cerebral palsy
chest pain
constrictive pericarditis |
| CPAP | continuous positive airway pressure |
| CPC | clinical–pathological conference |
| CPCR | cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation, a version of CPR |
| CPD | cephalopelvic disproportion |
| CPE | Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin
cardiogenic pulmonary edema
Carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae |
| CPG | clinical practice guideline |
| CPK | creatine phosphokinase |
| CPKMB | creatine phosphokinase heart |
| CPP | cerebral perfusion pressure |
| CPPD | calcium pyrophosphate
cyclic perimenstrual pain and discomfort[1] (premenstrual syndrome) |
| CPR | cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
| CPT | Current Procedural Terminology |
| CR | complete remission (complete response)
controlled release |
| Cr | creatinine |
| CRC | colorectal cancer |
| CrCl | creatinine clearance
(Note: Looks similar to, but does not mean, the chromium chlorides—CrCl2, CrCl3, CrCl4) |
| CRD | chronic renal disease
circadian rhythm disorder |
| CRE | carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae |
| Creat | creatinine |
| CREST | calcinosis, Raynaud esophagus, sclerosis, teleangiectasiae |
| CRF | chronic renal failure
corticotropin-releasing factor |
| CrGN | crescentic glomerulonephritis |
| CRH | corticotropin-releasing hormone |
| CRI | chronic renal insufficiency |
| Crike | Cricothyrotomy |
| CRISPR | clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats |
| Crit | hematocrit |
| CRL | crown-rump length |
| CRNA | certified registered nurse anesthetist |
| CRO | contract research organization |
| CRP | C-reactive protein |
| CRPC | castration-resistant prostate cancer |
| CRPS | complex regional pain syndrome |
| CRRT | continuous renal replacement therapy |
| CRS | congenital rubella syndrome |
| CRSD | circadian rhythm sleep disorder |
| CRT | cardiac resynchronization therapy (artificial pacemaker)
chemoradiotherapy
conformal radiotherapy (irradiated zone conforms to boundaries)
cathode-ray tube
capillary refill time
central retinal thickness certified respiratory therapist |
| CRTx | chemoradiotherapy |
| CS | caesarean section
compartment syndrome
culture sensitivity
Churg–Strauss syndrome |
| C/S | Caesarean section |
| C&S | culture and sensitivity (antibiogram) |
| CsA | cyclosporin A |
| CSA | Controlled Substances Act |
| C-section | cesarean section |
| CSF | cerebrospinal fluid
colony-stimulating factor |
| CSME | clinically significant macular edema |
| CSOM | chronic suppurative otitis media |
| CSPC | community specialist palliative care |
| C-spine | cervical spine |
| CSR | cumulative survival rate |
| C-SSRS | Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale |
| CSU | catheter specimen of urine |
| CST | contraction stress test |
| CT | computed tomography
cervicothoracic |
| CTA | clear to auscultation
computed tomography angiography |
| CTAB | clear to auscultation bilaterally; also written CTA B |
| CTAP | CT during arterial portography |
| CTCAE | Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events |
| CT c/a/p | CT scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis |
| CTD | connective tissue disease |
| CTE | chronic traumatic encephalopathy
coefficient of thermal expansion |
| CTEPH | Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension |
| CTO | chronic total occlusion
Community Treatment Order (psychiatric term for forced drugging outside hospital context) |
| CTP | cytosine triphosphate
cytidine triphosphate
Child–Turcotte–Pugh score
clear to percussion |
| CTPA | computed tomographic pulmonary angiography |
| CTPE | CT scan for pulmonary embolii |
| CTR | carpal tunnel release |
| CTS | computed tomography scan
Carpal tunnel syndrome |
| CTU | cancer treatment unit |
| CTx | chemotherapy |
| CTX | ceftriaxone (a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic)
contractions
chemotherapy |
| CTZ | Chemoreceptor trigger zone |
| CUC | chronic ulcerative colitis |
| CV | cardiovascular |
| CVA | cerebrovascular accident
costovertebral angle |
| CVAD | central venous access device |
| CVAT | costovertebral angle tenderness |
| CVC | central venous catheter
chronic venous congestion |
| CVD | cardiovascular disease |
| CVI | cerebrovascular incident |
| CVL | central venous line |
| CVP | central venous pressure |
| CVS | chorionic villus sampling
cardiovascular system
Cerebrovascular stroke |
| CVID | common variable immunodeficiency |
| CVT | cerebral venous thrombosis |
| CVVH | continuous veno-venous hemofiltration, a short-term alternative to Hemodialysis |
| c/w | consistent with |
| CWP | coal worker's pneumoconiosis |
| Cx | microbiological culture |
| Cx | complication |
| Cx | cervix |
| CXR | chest x-ray (chest radiograph) |
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