Browse Medical Abbreviations
R
| r | rate; roentgen |
| R | respiration; right |
| R&D | research and development |
| R&R | rate and rhythm |
| R&W | recreation and welfare |
| R-L | right to left |
| R-V | rectovaginal |
| R.B.C. | red blood cells |
| R/F | refill |
| R/L | right to left |
| R/O | rule out |
| R/S | reschedule |
| R/T | related to |
| R0 | basic reproduction number (R naught) |
| RA | right arm; right atrium; rheumatoid arthritis |
| Ra | radium |
| RAA | renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (system) |
| RAAS | renin angiotensin aldosterone system |
| RAC | right antecubital |
| RACE | rescue, alarm, confine, extinguish (fire safety) |
| rad | radical; radial; root (radix) |
| RAD | reactive airway disease; rapid applications development; right axis deviation; radiation absorbed dose |
| RADAR | risk assessment of drugs analysis and response; radio detecting and ranging |
| RAE | right atrial enlargement |
| RAFa | right anterior forearm |
| RAHA | hemagglutination assay |
| RAI | radioactive iodine |
| RAID | rapid assessment, interface and discharge |
| RAIU | radioactive iodine uptake |
| RAM | rapid alternating movements |
| RANA | rheumatoid arthritis nuclear antigen |
| RANK | receptor activator of nuclear factor kB |
| RAO | right anterior oblique |
| RAP | resident assessment protocol; recurrent abdominal pain |
| RAPD | relative afferent pupillary defect |
| RAS | reticular activating system; renin-angiotensin system; renal artery stenosis |
| RAST | radioallergosorbent test |
| RAT | rapid assessment and treatment |
| RATx | radiation therapy |
| Rb | rubidium [element] |
| rb | right bundle |
| RB | retinoblastoma |
| RBBB | right bundle branch block |
| RBC | red blood cell(s); red blood count |
| Rbcs | red blood cells |
| RBE | relative biological effectiveness |
| RBF | renal blood flow |
| rBGH | recombinant bovine growth hormone |
| RBRVS | resource-based relative value scale |
| rBST | recombinant bovine somatotropin |
| RBV | read back and verify |
| RCA | right coronary artery |
| RCAD | renal cysts and diabetes |
| RCC | renal cell carcinoma |
| RCDP | rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata |
| RCF | right cubital fossa |
| RCL | radial collateral ligament |
| RCM | restrictive cardiomyopathy; red cell mass; right costal margin |
| RCP | Royal College of Physicians; respiratory care practitioner |
| RCR | replication competent retrovirus |
| RCS | Registered Cardiac Sonographer |
| RCT | randomized controlled trial |
| RD | retinal detachment; respiratory distress; respiratory disease; registered dietitian; right deltoid; Raynaud disease; Registered Dietician; radial deviation |
| RDA | recommended daily/dietary allowance; representational difference analysis |
| RDH | Registered Dental Hygienist |
| RDI | reference daily intake |
| rDNA | ribosomal DNA; recombinant DNA |
| RDoC | Research Domain Criteria |
| RDP | random donor platelets |
| RDS | respiratory distress syndrome |
| RDT | rising dose tolerance |
| RDU | rheumatic disease unit |
| RDW | red cell distribution width |
| Re | rhenium [element] |
| RE | right eye; reproductive endocrinologist |
| ReA | reactive arthritis |
| REBT | rational emotive behavioral therapy |
| rec | recommend or recommended |
| recc | recommend or recommended |
| REE | resting energy expenditure |
| ref | referral/refer; refuse(d) |
| refl | reflex |
| reg | regular |
| REHAB | rehabilitation |
| REI | reproductive endocrinology |
| rel | related; relative |
| REM | rapid eye movement (sleep) |
| rem | removal |
| REMS | risk evaluation and mitigation strategy |
| rep | repeated (repetatur) |
| reps | repetitions |
| RES | reticuloendothelial system |
| resc | rescue; resuscitation |
| resid | residual |
| resp | response; respiration |
| RET | esotrophia (right); rational emotive therapy |
| retics | reticulocytes |
| retro | retrograde |
| rev | revision; reverse; review |
| RF | retroflexed; rheumatoid factor; radio frequency |
| RFA | radiofrequency ablation; right forearm |
| RFB | rifabutin |
| RFFF | radial forearm free flap |
| RFLP | restriction fragment length polymorphism |
| RFS | recurrence-free survival |
| RFT | renal function test |
| RFt | right foot |
| RG | right gluteal/gluteus |
| RH | right hand; relative humidity |
| Rh | Rhesus (factor); rhodium [element] |
| RHD | rheumatic heart disease |
| RHF | right heart failure |
| rhGH | recombinant human growth hormone |
| RhIG | Rh immune globulin |
| rhNGF | recombinant human nerve growth factor |
| RI | resistive index |
| RIA | radioimmunoassay |
| RIBA | recombinant immunoblot assay |
| RICE | rest, ice, compression, elevation |
| RID | radial immunodiffusion |
| RIE | recorded in error |
| RIF | right iliac fossa; rifampin |
| RIFA | right inner forearm |
| RIG | rabies immune globulin |
| RIH | right inguinal herniorrhaphy |
| RIND | reversible ischemic neurologic deficit |
| RIU | radioactive iodine uptake (test) |
| RK | radial keratotomy; rhodopsin kinase |
| RL | right leg; Ringer's Lactate; right lateral |
| RLE | right lower extremity |
| RLF | retrolental fibroplasia |
| RLFa | right lateral forearm |
| RLL | right lower (lung) lobe |
| RLQ | right lower quadrant (abdomen) |
| RLS | restless legs syndrome |
| RLW | right lateral wrist |
| RM | respiratory movement; risk management; ruptured membranes |
| RMA | right medial ankle; refuse(s) medical assistance |
| RML | right mediolateral; right middle (lung) lobe |
| RMP | rifampin |
| RMSF | rocky mountain spotted fever |
| RMT | retromolar trigone |
| Rn | radon [element] |
| RN | Registered Nurse |
| RN-C | Registered Nurse-Certified (by ANCC) |
| RNA | ribonucleic acid |
| RNAi | RNA interference |
| RNFA | Registered Nurse First Assistant (surgery) |
| RNP | ribonucleoprotein |
| RNST | reactive non stress test |
| Ro | Ro antigen |
| RO | reverse osmosis; rule out |
| ROA | right occiput anterior |
| ROC | receiver operating characteristic |
| ROD | renal osteodystrophy |
| ROFA | right outer forearm |
| ROI | region of interest; release of information |
| ROM | range of motion; rupture of membranes |
| ROP | retinopathy of prematurity; right occiput posterior (position) |
| ROPD | reversible obstructive pulmonary disease |
| ROS | review of symptoms; reactive oxygen species; review of systems |
| ROT | right occiput transverse |
| rot. | rotation |
| RP | retinitis pigmentosa; radial pulse; Raynaud's phenomenon; retrograde pyelography |
| RPE | ratings of perceived exertion; retinal pigment epithelium |
| RPF | renal plasma flow |
| RPG | retrograde pyelogram |
| RPGN | rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis |
| RPh | registered pharmacist |
| RPM | revolutions per minute |
| RPO | right posterior oblique |
| RPP | rate pressure product |
| RPR | rapid plasma reagent (test) |
| RPT | registered physical therapist; rifapentine |
| RQ | respiratory quotient |
| RR | recovery room; relative risk; respiratory rate; relative risk (ratio) |
| RRA | registered record administrator; Radioiodine remnant ablation |
| RRE | round, reactive, equal |
| RRL | registered records librarian |
| rRNA | ribosomal RNA |
| RRP | radical retropubic prostatectomy; recurrent respiratory papillomatosis |
| RRR | regular rate and rhythm |
| RRT | Registered Respiratory Therapist; renal replacement therapy |
| RS | Reiter's syndrome; remitting seronegative; respiratory system |
| RS3PE | symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema |
| RSB | regular sinus bradycardia |
| RSBI | Rapid Shallow Breathing Index |
| RSC | right subclavian |
| RSD | reflex sympathetic dystrophy |
| RSI | rapid sequence intubation; repetitive strain injury |
| RSO | right salpingo oophorectomy; Radiation Safety Officer |
| RSR | regular sinus rate/rhythm |
| RST | regular sinus tachycardia |
| RSV | Rous sarcoma virus; respiratory syncytial virus |
| RT | radiation therapy; related to; registered therapist; respiratory therapy |
| rt | right |
| RT-PCR | reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction |
| rT3 | reverse triiodothyronine |
| RTA | renal tubular acidosis; road traffic accident |
| RTC | road traffic collision; return to clinic |
| RTF | ready to feed; resident treatment facility |
| RTI | reverse transcriptase inhibitors; respiratory tract infection |
| RTT | referral to treatment |
| RTV | ritonavir (antiviral drug) |
| RTW | return to work |
| Ru | ruthenium [element] |
| RUA | right upper arm |
| RUD | right uterine displacement |
| RUE | right upper extremity |
| RUG | resource utilization group; retrograde urethrogram |
| RUL | right upper (lung) lobe; right upper leg |
| RUO | research use only |
| rupt | rupture |
| RUQ | right upper quadrant (abdomen) |
| RUT | right upper thigh |
| RV | residual volume; rotavirus; retroverted; return visit; right ventricle; right ventricle/ventricular |
| RVA | rabies vaccine, adsorbed |
| RVAD | right ventricular assist device |
| RVC | responds to verbal commands |
| RVCT | report of verified case tuberculosis |
| RVEF | right ventricular ejection fraction |
| RVF | right ventricular failure; right ventricular function |
| RVH | right ventricular hypertrophy |
| RVM | right ventricular mean |
| RVOT | right ventricular outflow tract |
| RVR | rapid virologic response; rapid ventricular response |
| RVS | Registered Vascular Specialist |
| RVSP | right ventricular systolic pressure |
| RVT | right vastus lateralis |
| RVVC | recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis |
| Rx | prescription (L. recipere) |
| Rxn | reaction |
| RXT | exotropia (right) |
| RYR | ryanodine receptor |
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Abbreviations vary by context and institution. Many abbreviations have alternate or newer meanings not reflected in this set. The abbreviations on this page should not be considered complete.