This list of every important abbreviation or acronym you might come across during your ACLS exam is the perfect study tool to have by your side.
When taking your Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) exam, being able to understand all the abbreviations – and there are a lot of them – is vital. Luckily, a vast majority of them are very general, which you likely learned your first year in school. Those are second nature by now. However, there are some you might not be as familiar with.
That’s where this list will come in handy.
If you’re taking your ACLS online, having this list open while you’re taking your exam can be a major time-saver. The less time you have to spend flipping back-and-forth through the course material, the quicker you’ll be certified!
Below are all of the abbreviations and acronyms you might come across during your ACLS course:
ABCD | Airway, breathing, circulation, differential diagnosis
ACE | Angiotensin-converting enzyme
ACLS | Advanced cardiovascular life support
ACS | Acute coronary syndrome
AED | Automated external defibrillator
AHA | American Heart Association
AHF | Acute heart failure
AICD | Automated Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator
AMI | Acute myocardial infarction
AV | Atrioventricular
BLS | Basic life support
BP | Blood pressure
CAB | Circulation, airway, breathing
CHF | Congestive heart failure
CPR | Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
CPSS | Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale
CT | Computed tomography
DNAR | Do not attempt resuscitation
ECG | Electrocardiogram
ECPR | Extracorporeal CPR
ED | Emergency Department
EMS | Emergency medical services
ET | Endotracheal
FDA | Food and Drug Administration
FAST | Facial droop, arm drift, speech, time
GI | Gastrointestinal
ICU | Intensive care unit
IHCA | In-hospital cardiac arrest
ILE | Intravenous lipid emulsion
IN | Intranasal
IM | Intramuscular
IO | Intraosseous
IV | Intravenous
LMA | Laryngeal Mask Airway
LV | Left ventricle
mA | Millaperes
MACE | Major adverse cardiac events
MAP | Mean arterial pressure
MI | myocardial infarction
mmHG | Millimeters of mercury
NIH | National Institutes of Health
NIHSS | National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale
NINDS | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
NPA | Nasopharyngeal airway
NSTEMI | Non-ST segment myocardial infarction
OHCA | Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
OPA | Oropharyngeal airway
PAD | Public Access Defibrillation
PCI | Percutaneous coronary intervention
PE | Pulmonary embolism
PEA | Pulseless electrical activity
PETCO2 | Partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide
PPCI | Primary percutaneous coronary intervention
PSVT | Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
PT | Prothrombin time
PVCs | Premature ventricular contractions
PVT | Pulseless ventricular tachycardia
ROSC | Return of spontaneous circulation
RRT | Rapid response team
RV | Right ventricle
SBP | Systolic blood pressure
STEMI | ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction
SVO2 | Central venous oxygen saturation
SVT | Supraventricular tachycardia
TCP | transcutaneous pacing
TIMI | Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction
TTM | targeted temperature management
UA | Unstable angina
VF / V-Fib | Ventricular fibrillation
VT | Ventricular tachycardia
Electronic Medical Certification (eMedCert) provides healthcare professionals with convenient, credible, affordable, and user-friendly online certification courses. eMedCert provides a fully-online alternative to traditional ACLS, PALS, and BLS certifications and recertifications to help you advance your career without inconveniencing your work or lifestyle.
We want to make sure you have the best experience possible with our courses. If you need assistance or have any further questions about online healthcare certifications, connect with our team by sending us a message.