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Nitroglycerin (medication) Nitroglycerin, also known as glyceryl trinitrate ( GTN ), is a vasodilator used for heart failure, high blood pressure ( hypertension ), anal fissures, painful periods, and to treat and prevent chest pain caused by decreased blood flow to the heart ( angina) or due to the recreational use of cocaine.
Nitroglycerin (NG) (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine), also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating glycerol with white fuming nitric acid under conditions appropriate to the formation of the nitric acid ester.
This is a list of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions, including hospital orders (the patient-directed part of which is referred to as sig codes).This list does not include abbreviations for pharmaceuticals or drug name suffixes such as CD, CR, ER, XT (See Time release technology § List of abbreviations for those).
The main discussion of these abbreviations in the context of drug prescriptions and other medical prescriptions is at List of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions. Some of these abbreviations are best not used, as marked and explained here.
of or pertaining to medicine or a physician (uncommon as a prefix but common as a suffix; see -iatry) Greek ἰατρός (iatrós), healer, physician iatrochemistry, iatrogenesis-iatry: denotes a field in medicine emphasizing a certain body component Greek ἰατρός (iatrós), healer, physician podiatry, psychiatry-ic: pertaining to
Abbreviation Term Description (notes) A.d. As directed bd/bid Twice a day gt One drop gtt drops GSL General sales list Gutt/g Guttae (drops) Meds Medications Nocte/QHS At night Occ Ointment od/QD Once a day otc Over the counter (bought medication) P Pharmacy (drug) POM Prescription-only medicine prn When required q
Abbreviations are used very frequently in medicine. They boost efficiency as long as they are used intelligently. The advantages of brevity should be weighed against the possibilities of obfuscation (making the communication harder for others to understand) and ambiguity (having more than one possible interpretation).
As used in standard medical jargon, P.R.N. is understood to mean "as needed". This reading of the abbreviation implies that the delivery of the prescription (by a suitable person, following a medications protocol) is done in a reactive, passive way, e.g., "when that happens, do this".