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List of medical abbreviations: B

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sortable table
Abbreviation Meaning
Bx biopsy
Ba barium
BAC blood alcohol content
BAD bipolar affective disorder
BADLs basic ADLs
basic activities of daily living
BAL bronchoalveolar lavage
British anti-Lewisite
blood alcohol level
BAO basic acid output
BAT brown adipose tissue
BAV bicuspid aortic valve
BBA bilateral breast augmentation
BBB blood–brain barrier
BBB L left bundle branch block
BBB R right bundle branch block
BBPS Boston Bowel Preparation Scale
BBT basal body temperature
BC bone conduction
blood culture
Board certified
BCC basal cell carcinoma
blind carbon copy
BCG bacille Calmette–Guérin (a tuberculosis vaccination)
BCP birth control pill
BCP blood chemistry profile
BCX
BCx
blood culture
BDR Background Diabetic Retinopathy
BBMF "bone break, me fix" (orthopedic consent form)
BD bipolar disorder
twice a day (from Latin bis in die)
BDD body dysmorphic disorder
BDI Beck Depression Inventory
BDS two times a day (from Latin bis die sumendus)
BE barium enema
base excess
BEAM A type of high-dose chemotherapy used to treat lymphoma prior to a stem cell transplant
BEP bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (chemotherapy regimen)
BF breastfeeding
BFP bundle forming pilus
BG blood glucose
BGAT blood glucose awareness training (to help patients with diabetic hypoglycemia)
BGL blood glucose level
BIB brought in by
BIBA brought in by ambulance
BID
bid
b.i.d.
twice a day (from Latin bis in die)
Bilat eq bilaterally equal
BiPAP bilevel positive airway pressure
BIS bispectral index
BiVAD bilateral ventricular assist device (left and right)
BK bradykinin
BKA below-the-knee amputation
b/l bilateral
BL Burkitt's lymphoma
bl.cult blood culture
bld blood
BLE Bilateral Lower Extremity (in/on both legs).
BLS basic life support
BM bone marrow
bowel movement
breast milk
Capillary blood glucose (British medical colloquialism originating from Boehringer Mannheim, a manufacturer of early glucose meters, today a part of Boehringer Ingelheim.)
BMBx Bone marrow biopsy
BMC bone mineral content
BMD bone mineral density (also termed bone mass measurement)
BMI body mass index
BMP basic metabolic panel
BMR basal metabolic rate
BMS bare-metal stent
BMT bone marrow transplantation
BNO bowel not open
BNP brain natriuretic peptide
BO bowel open
B/O because of
BOA born out of asepsis
BOI born on island (i.e. a local patient)
BOLT Bilateral Orthotopic Lung Transplant
BOM bilateral otitis media
BOOP bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia
BP blood pressure
British Pharmacopoeia
BPAD bipolar affective disorder
BPCA best pharmaceuticals for children act
BPD biparietal diameter
borderline personality disorder
bronchopulmonary dysplasia
BPES blepharophimosis, ptosis, epicanthus inversus syndrome
BPH benign prostatic hyperplasia/benign prostatic hypertrophy
BPM beats per minute
BPP biophysical profile
BPPV benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
BPSD behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia
BR bedrest
bathroom
BRA bilateral renal agenesis
BRAT The BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast (helps digestion in some GI disorders)
BRATY another version of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, yogurt (helps digestion in some GI disorders)
BRB bright red blood (color is important as an indicator of source, for example in gastrointestinal bleeding)
BRBPR bright red blood per rectum
BRCA1 (gene)
BRCA1 (protein)
breast cancer 1 (a human gene and its protein)
BRCA2 (gene)
BRCA2 (protein)
breast cancer 2 (a human gene and its protein)
BRP bathroom privileges
BRTO Balloon-Occluded Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration
BRVO Branch retinal vein occlusion
BS barium swallow
breath
breath sound
bowel sounds (on auscultation using a stethoscope)
blood sugar
body secretions
BS x 4 quads bowel signs in all 4 quadrants (also sometimes "BS + all 4 quads")
BSx B-symptoms
BSA body surface area
bovine serum albumin
BSC bedside commode
BSE bovine spongiform encephalopathy
breast self-examination
BSL blood sugar level
BSO bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
BSP bromsulphthalein
BSU Bartholin, Skene and urethra (glands)
BT bleeding time
brachytherapy
BTB breakthrough bleeding of menstrual period
BTL bilateral tubal ligation
BTP breakthrough pain
BTT bridge to transplantation
BUN blood urea nitrogen
BV bacterial vaginosis
BVM bag valve mask (Ambu bag)
BVP biventricular pacing (see artificial pacemaker)
bleomycin, vincristine, and cisplatin (chemotherapy regimen)
BW blood work (blood tests)
birth weight
BWS Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
Bx biopsy
BZDs benzodiazepines