Medical Abbreviations Starting With "F"

This page lists 238 medical abbreviations starting with "F", each with its full form and a plain-English meaning. Where one abbreviation has more than one common meaning, each meaning has its own row — context in the chart is what tells them apart. Terms flagged ⚠ Error-prone are on recognised error-prone lists and should be written out in full. Use the filter box to narrow this list, the search on the main guide to search all 5,715 entries, or jump to another letter:

A B C D E G H I J K L M N 0–9 O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Abbreviation	Full form	What it means	Used in
F	Fahrenheit	Temperature scale commonly used in the United States	Vitals & Assessment
F508del	F508del (commonest CF variant)	Most frequent cystic fibrosis gene change	Pediatrics Laboratory
FAB	Frontal Assessment Battery	Brief frontal lobe bedside battery	Neurology Psychiatry
FABER	flexion abduction external rotation (Patrick test)	Hip and sacroiliac pain test	Musculoskeletal Vitals & Assessment
Fabry	Fabry disease (lysosomal)	Pain and organ storage disorder	Pediatrics Laboratory Renal & Nephrology Neurology
facetectomy	facetectomy (facet removal)	Removing a spinal facet joint portion	Surgery Neurology
factitious	factitious disorder (imposed)	Faked illness for the sick role — diagnosis	Psychiatry
FADIR	flexion adduction internal rotation test	Hip impingement test	Musculoskeletal Vitals & Assessment
FAF	fundus autofluorescence	Retinal imaging from natural pigment glow	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
Fahn	Fahn-Tolosa-Marin tremor scale	Tremor severity rating scale	Neurology
FAI	femoroacetabular impingement	Hip pain from abnormal contact between ball and socket	Musculoskeletal
FAI surgery	femoroacetabular impingement surgery	Reshaping hip bones causing pinching	Surgery Musculoskeletal
failed screen	failed hearing screen (refer result)	Newborn hearing result needing follow-up	Pediatrics Nursing
failure to thrive	failure to thrive (growth)	Poor weight gain in infancy — growth	Pediatrics Nursing
falciform	falciform ligament (anatomy)	Fold dividing the liver's top surface	Gastroenterology
fall mat	fall mat (floor mat)	Padded mat reducing injury from bed falls	Nursing
fall precautions	fall precautions (order)	Safety measures for patients at fall risk	Nursing
falx	falx cerebri (anatomy)	Sickle-shaped fold between the brain halves	Neurology
familial short	familial short stature (pattern)	Shortness matching the parents' heights	Pediatrics Endocrinology
family presence	family presence (resuscitation)	Allowing family to witness resuscitation efforts	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care
FAP	familial adenomatous polyposis	Inherited condition causing many colon polyps	Hematology & Oncology Gastroenterology
FAQ cog	Functional Activities Questionnaire (cognitive)	Informant rating of daily function in dementia	Neurology Psychiatry
FAS	fetal alcohol syndrome	Condition in a child caused by alcohol exposure before birth	Pediatrics Obstetrics & Gynecology
fasciculation	fasciculation (finding)	Visible muscle twitch — finding	Neurology
fasciectomy	fasciectomy (Dupuytren)	Removing contracted palm tissue	Surgery Musculoskeletal
FASD	fetal alcohol spectrum disorder	Range of effects from alcohol exposure before birth	Psychiatry Pediatrics
FAST	face, arms, speech, time	Stroke recognition prompt used publicly	Emergency & Critical Care Neurology
FAST	focused assessment with sonography for trauma	Bedside ultrasound scan in trauma	Emergency & Critical Care Radiology & Imaging Surgery
FAST	Functional Assessment Staging (dementia)	Alzheimer staging scale — dementia	Neurology Psychiatry
FAST exam	focused assessment with sonography for trauma	Bedside trauma ultrasound scan	Radiology & Imaging Emergency & Critical Care Surgery
FAST scale	Functional Assessment Staging Tool	Functional staging in Alzheimer disease	Neurology Psychiatry
fasting labs	fasting labs (order)	Blood tests after no food for a set period	Nursing Laboratory
FB	foreign body	Object lodged in a body part where it does not belong	General Medical Emergency & Critical Care
FB ingestion	foreign body ingestion (presentation)	Swallowed object presentation	Pediatrics Gastroenterology Emergency & Critical Care
FBS	fetal blood sampling	Test of a baby's blood during labour or pregnancy	Obstetrics & Gynecology Laboratory
FBT	family-based treatment (Maudsley)	Parent-led eating disorder therapy	Psychiatry Pediatrics
FBTCS	focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizure	Seizure starting in one area then generalizing	Neurology
FC	fibrinogen concentrate	Purified fibrinogen for bleeding	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders Emergency & Critical Care
FCR	flexor carpi radialis (muscle)	Thumb-side wrist bending muscle	Musculoskeletal
FCR	fludarabine cyclophosphamide rituximab	CLL chemotherapy-antibody combination	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders
FCU	flexor carpi ulnaris (muscle)	Pinky-side wrist bending muscle	Musculoskeletal
FD child	functional dyspepsia (childhood)	Upper stomach functional pain — childhood	Pediatrics Gastroenterology
FDA	Food and Drug Administration	United States agency regulating medicines and food	General Medical Prescription & Medication Orders
FDG	fluorodeoxyglucose	Radioactive sugar tracer used in PET scans	Radiology & Imaging Hematology & Oncology
FDI	FDI World Dental Federation notation	International two-digit tooth numbering	General Medical
FDIA	factitious disorder imposed on another	Caregiver fabricating a child's illness	Psychiatry Pediatrics
FDL	flexor digitorum longus (muscle)	Toe-bending muscle	Musculoskeletal
FDP	fibrin degradation products	Breakdown fragments of blood clots measured in clotting problems	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FDP	flexor digitorum profundus (muscle)	Deep finger bending muscle	Musculoskeletal
FDS	flexor digitorum superficialis (muscle)	Finger bending muscle, surface layer	Musculoskeletal
Fe	iron	Mineral measured in blood, needed to make red cells	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FEC	fluorouracil epirubicin cyclophosphamide	Breast cancer chemotherapy combination	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders
fecal calprotectin	fecal calprotectin (inflammation marker)	Stool marker distinguishing IBD from IBS	Laboratory Gastroenterology
fecal elastase	fecal pancreatic elastase	stool test for pancreatic insufficiency	Laboratory Gastroenterology
fecal fat	fecal fat (qualitative/quantitative)	Stool test for fat malabsorption	Laboratory Gastroenterology
feeding aversion	feeding aversion (behavioral)	Refusal pattern from pressured or painful feeding	Pediatrics Gastroenterology Psychiatry
FEF	forced expiratory flow	Speed of air flow during a forced breath out	Respiratory
female athlete triad	female athlete triad (syndrome)	Low energy, period loss and bone loss in athletes	Psychiatry Endocrinology Obstetrics & Gynecology Musculoskeletal
femo-fem	femoral-femoral (cannulation)	Groin artery and vein ECMO setup	Emergency & Critical Care Surgery
femoral anteversion	femoral anteversion (in-toeing cause)	Inward thigh bone twist causing in-toeing	Pediatrics Musculoskeletal
femoral line	femoral catheter (access)	Groin vein line — access	Renal & Nephrology Emergency & Critical Care Nursing
femoral n	femoral nerve (anatomy)	Main front thigh nerve	Neurology Musculoskeletal
femur fracture child	femoral shaft fracture (childhood)	Thigh bone break of childhood	Pediatrics Musculoskeletal Surgery
FENa	fractional excretion of sodium	Urine calculation helping assess kidney injury	Renal & Nephrology Laboratory
FeNO	fractional exhaled nitric oxide (inflammation)	Breath inflammation marker	Pediatrics Respiratory Laboratory
Fenton	Fenton growth chart (preterm)	Preterm baby growth reference chart	Pediatrics
FEP	cefepime	Cephalosporin antibiotic medicine	Prescription & Medication Orders Infectious Disease
FEP	first-episode psychosis	First presentation of psychotic illness	Psychiatry
fern test	fern test (fluid test)	Crystallization test for amniotic fluid	Obstetrics & Gynecology Laboratory
FESS	functional endoscopic sinus surgery	Keyhole sinus operation using a camera	General Medical Surgery
FESS full	full-house FESS	Complete endoscopic sinus surgery	Surgery
FET cycle	frozen embryo transfer (cycle)	Transfer of a thawed embryo	Obstetrics & Gynecology
FEUrea	fractional excretion of urea	Urine calculation helping assess kidney injury	Renal & Nephrology Laboratory
FEV1	forced expiratory volume in 1 second	Air blown out in the first second of a forced breath	Respiratory
FEV1/FVC	FEV1 to FVC ratio	Ratio used to detect narrowed airways on breathing tests	Respiratory
FEVAR	fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair	Branched stent-graft repair with windowed branches	Radiology & Imaging Surgery
FeverPAIN	FeverPAIN score	Sore throat antibiotic decision score	Infectious Disease Vitals & Assessment
FF	force fluids	Encourage drinking extra fluids	Nursing
FFA	fundus fluorescein angiography	Dye imaging of retinal circulation	General Medical Radiology & Imaging
fFN	fetal fibronectin (test)	Protein test predicting preterm labor — test	Obstetrics & Gynecology Laboratory
FFP	fresh frozen plasma	Donated blood plasma used for clotting factors	Hematology & Oncology Surgery
FFR	fractional flow reserve	Pressure measurement of how much a narrowing limits blood flow	Cardiology
FGA	fetal gestational age	Age of the fetus by measurement	Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging
FGA	first-generation antipsychotic	Older class of antipsychotic medicine	Prescription & Medication Orders Psychiatry
FGA antipsychotic	first-generation antipsychotic (typical)	Older dopamine-blocking antipsychotic class	Psychiatry Prescription & Medication Orders
FGF23	fibroblast growth factor 23	Phosphate-regulating hormone measured in bone disorders	Laboratory Endocrinology Renal & Nephrology
FGR	fetal growth restriction	Slow growth of a baby before birth	Obstetrics & Gynecology
FGR fetus	fetal growth restriction (diagnosis)	Fetus failing to reach growth potential — diagnosis	Obstetrics & Gynecology
FH	family history	Health conditions in a patient's close relatives	General Medical
FHL	flexor hallucis longus (muscle)	Big-toe bending muscle	Musculoskeletal
FHR	fetal heart rate	Heart rate of a baby before birth	Obstetrics & Gynecology Vitals & Assessment
FHR baseline	fetal heart rate baseline	Average fetal heart rate over ten minutes	Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing
Fib	fibrinogen	Blood protein essential for clot formation	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FIB-4	Fibrosis-4 index	Blood-based score estimating liver scarring	Gastroenterology Laboratory
fiberoptic intubation	fiberoptic intubation (technique)	Scope-guided tube placement for difficult airways	Emergency & Critical Care Respiratory Surgery
fibula flap	fibula free flap	Leg bone flap rebuilding the jaw	Surgery
FIESTA	fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition	Bright-fluid MRI sequence used for nerves and heart	Radiology & Imaging
fifth disease	fifth disease (erythema infectiosum)	Slapped-cheek viral illness	Pediatrics Infectious Disease
FIGO	International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging	Cancer staging system for female reproductive cancers	Hematology & Oncology Obstetrics & Gynecology
FIGO AUB	FIGO AUB system (bleeding classification)	International bleeding classification	Obstetrics & Gynecology
filter life	filter life (CRRT metric)	How long a continuous filter lasts	Renal & Nephrology Emergency & Critical Care
filum	filum terminale (anatomy)	Thread anchoring the cord's end	Neurology
FIM	Functional Independence Measure	Rehabilitation disability score	Neurology Musculoskeletal Nursing
finger feeding	finger feeding (method)	Tube-on-finger baby feeding method	Pediatrics Nursing
FiO2	fraction of inspired oxygen	Percentage of oxygen in the air a person breathes in	Respiratory
FiO2 setting	fraction of inspired oxygen (setting)	Oxygen percentage setting — setting	Respiratory Emergency & Critical Care
fire escape	home fire escape plan (guidance)	Practiced two-exit escape planning	Pediatrics Nursing General Medical
fire risk	fire risk assessment (OR)	Scoring of surgical fire danger	Nursing Surgery
FIRES	febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome	Explosive status after a febrile illness in children	Neurology Pediatrics Emergency & Critical Care
first dental	age-one dental visit (guidance)	Dentist by the first birthday guidance	Pediatrics
first pass	first pass effect (thrombectomy)	Complete reopening on the first device pass	Neurology Radiology & Imaging
first rank	first-rank symptoms (Schneiderian)	Classic schizophrenia symptom set	Psychiatry
FISH	fluorescence in situ hybridization	Lab test detecting gene changes in cells	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
fistulogram	fistulogram (dialysis access study)	Contrast X-ray of a dialysis fistula	Radiology & Imaging Renal & Nephrology
FIT	faecal immunochemical test	Stool test detecting hidden blood	Gastroenterology Laboratory
fit test	fit test (respirator)	Check that a respirator seals to the face	Nursing Infectious Disease
five rights	five rights of medication administration	Right patient, drug, dose, route and time checks	Nursing Prescription & Medication Orders
FIX	factor IX	Clotting factor missing in haemophilia B	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FL	femur length	Ultrasound measurement of a baby's thigh bone before birth	Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging
FL fetal	femur length (fetal ultrasound)	Fetal thigh bone measurement	Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging
FLACC	Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale	Pain score for young children and non-verbal patients	Vitals & Assessment Pediatrics
FLACS	femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery	Laser-assisted cataract procedure	General Medical Surgery
FLAG	fludarabine cytarabine G-CSF	Salvage leukemia chemotherapy combination	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders
FLAG-IDA	FLAG plus idarubicin	Intensive salvage leukemia combination	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders
FLAIR	fluid-attenuated inversion recovery	MRI sequence suppressing fluid signal	Radiology & Imaging Neurology
FLAIR mismatch	DWI-FLAIR mismatch (stroke timing)	Scan pattern suggesting an early stroke	Neurology Radiology & Imaging
flame burn	flame burn (mechanism)	Fire flame burn mechanism	Pediatrics Surgery Emergency & Critical Care
flap	flap reconstruction (procedure)	Moving tissue with its blood supply to cover a defect	Surgery
flat feet child	flexible flatfoot (childhood)	Flat arch standing that reforms on tiptoe	Pediatrics Musculoskeletal
flat head	positional plagiocephaly (parent term)	Flat head from back sleeping — parent term	Pediatrics
flat nipples	flat or inverted nipples (feeding challenge)	Nipple shape making latch harder	Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing
flatfoot recon	flatfoot reconstruction	Rebuilding a collapsed foot arch	Surgery Musculoskeletal
FLC	free light chains	Small antibody parts measured in blood	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FLD	full liquid diet	All liquids and foods that melt allowed	Nursing Gastroenterology
Flex sig	flexible sigmoidoscopy	Camera examination of the lower large intestine	Gastroenterology Surgery
flexible nails	flexible intramedullary nails (pediatric femur)	Elastic rods for children's thigh fractures	Pediatrics Musculoskeletal Surgery
FLIPI	Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index	Follicular lymphoma risk score	Hematology & Oncology
float	float (staffing)	Working temporarily on another unit	Nursing General Medical
floor	the floor (general ward)	Non-monitored general care area	Nursing General Medical
Flow	flow cytometry	Lab method counting and sorting cells by markers	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
flow crossmatch	flow cytometric crossmatch (test)	Sensitive donor-recipient compatibility test	Renal & Nephrology Laboratory Surgery
flow diverter	flow diversion (aneurysm)	Stent redirecting flow away from an aneurysm	Surgery Neurology Radiology & Imaging
FLU	fluconazole (chart shorthand)	Azole antifungal chart shorthand	Prescription & Medication Orders Infectious Disease
Fluid chart	fluid balance chart	Chart recording fluids in and out	Nursing Renal & Nephrology
fluid restriction	fluid restriction (order)	Limited daily intake order	Renal & Nephrology Cardiology Nursing Endocrinology
fluoride varnish	fluoride varnish (application)	Tooth-protecting coating in medical visits	Pediatrics Nursing
Fluoro	fluoroscopy	Live moving X-ray imaging	Radiology & Imaging
FM	fibromyalgia	Long-term widespread pain with fatigue and sleep problems	Musculoskeletal
FMH	fetomaternal hemorrhage	Baby blood leaking into the mother's circulation	Obstetrics & Gynecology Laboratory
fMRI	functional magnetic resonance imaging	MRI showing brain activity through blood flow	Radiology & Imaging Neurology
FMS	fecal management system	Closed rectal stool collection device	Nursing Gastroenterology
FNA	fine needle aspiration	Sampling cells through a thin needle	Laboratory Surgery
FNA thyroid	fine needle aspiration (thyroid)	Thin-needle sampling of a thyroid nodule	Surgery Endocrinology Radiology & Imaging
FNAIT	fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia	Platelet antibody disease of fetus and newborn	Pediatrics Hematology & Oncology Obstetrics & Gynecology
FNB	fine needle biopsy (core-type)	Needle obtaining tissue architecture, not just cells	Gastroenterology Radiology & Imaging Laboratory
FND	functional neurological disorder	Real neurological symptoms without a structural disease cause	Neurology Psychiatry
FNHTR	febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reaction	Fever reaction during transfusion	Hematology & Oncology Nursing
FOBT	faecal occult blood test	Stool test detecting hidden blood	Gastroenterology Laboratory
focal aware	focal aware seizure (type)	Seizure with preserved awareness	Neurology
focal impaired	focal impaired awareness seizure (type)	Seizure with altered awareness	Neurology
focal laser	focal laser photocoagulation	Targeted retinal laser for leaking spots	Surgery
FODMAP	fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols	Group of gut-fermenting carbohydrates	Gastroenterology
FOLEY	Foley catheter	Tube draining urine from the bladder, named for its designer	Renal & Nephrology Nursing
Foley balloon	Foley balloon (cervical ripening)	Balloon catheter opening the cervix	Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing
Foley change	Foley catheter change	Scheduled bladder catheter replacement	Nursing Renal & Nephrology
FOLFIRI	folinic acid, fluorouracil, irinotecan	Combination chemotherapy regimen for bowel cancer	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders
FOLFIRINOX	folinic acid fluorouracil irinotecan oxaliplatin	Intensive pancreatic cancer chemotherapy combination	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders Gastroenterology
FOLFOX	folinic acid, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin	Combination chemotherapy regimen for bowel cancer	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders
FOLFOXIRI	folinic acid fluorouracil oxaliplatin irinotecan	Intensive three-drug colon cancer combination	Hematology & Oncology Prescription & Medication Orders Gastroenterology
FONA	front of neck access (emergency airway)	Emergency airway through the front of the neck	Emergency & Critical Care Surgery
Fontan	Fontan procedure (completion)	Final-stage single ventricle circulation	Pediatrics Cardiology Surgery
food allergy	food allergy (diagnosis)	Immune reaction to a food — diagnosis	Pediatrics Infectious Disease Gastroenterology
food chaining	food chaining (therapy)	Gradual food expansion from accepted foods	Pediatrics Gastroenterology Psychiatry
food impaction child	esophageal food impaction (childhood)	Stuck food in a child's food pipe	Pediatrics Gastroenterology Emergency & Critical Care
food jag	food jag (toddler pattern)	Eating one food repeatedly then refusing it	Pediatrics
FOOSH	fall on outstretched hand (mechanism)	Common wrist injury mechanism acronym	Musculoskeletal Emergency & Critical Care
foraminotomy	foraminotomy (nerve exit widening)	Enlarging the nerve exit hole in the spine	Surgery Neurology
forceps delivery	forceps delivery (operative vaginal)	Instrument-assisted vaginal birth	Obstetrics & Gynecology
Forchheimer	Forchheimer spots (rubella sign)	Soft palate spots in rubella	Pediatrics Infectious Disease
foremilk	foremilk (early feed milk)	Milk at the start of a feed	Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing Pediatrics
fortifier	human milk fortifier (HMF)	Powder adding calories and minerals to breast milk	Pediatrics Nursing
FOS	foscarnet (chart shorthand)	Second-line CMV antiviral shorthand	Prescription & Medication Orders Infectious Disease
FOS	fosfomycin (chart shorthand)	Single-dose urinary antibiotic shorthand	Prescription & Medication Orders Infectious Disease
FOUR	Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (score)	Coma score including brainstem — score	Neurology Emergency & Critical Care
FOUR score	Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score	Coma score usable in intubated patients	Neurology Emergency & Critical Care Vitals & Assessment
four-limb BP	four-extremity blood pressures (coarctation)	Comparing arm and leg pressures for aorta narrowing	Pediatrics Cardiology Nursing
fourth nerve palsy	fourth nerve palsy (finding)	Vertical double vision with head tilt	Neurology
fourth ventricle	fourth ventricle (anatomy)	Fluid space in front of the cerebellum	Neurology
FOV	field of view	Size of the imaged area	Radiology & Imaging
FPE abbrev	first pass effect (FPE abbreviation)	Single-pass success — abbreviation	Neurology Radiology & Imaging
FPG	fasting plasma glucose	Blood sugar measured after not eating	Endocrinology Laboratory
FPIAP	food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis	Milk-protein bloody stools in infants	Pediatrics Gastroenterology
FPIES	food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome	Delayed food allergy causing vomiting in infants	Pediatrics General Medical
FPL	flexor pollicis longus (muscle)	Thumb bending muscle	Musculoskeletal
fragile X	fragile X syndrome (genetic)	Commonest inherited intellectual disability	Pediatrics Neurology Psychiatry
FRAIL	FRAIL scale	Simple frailty screening scale	General Medical Vitals & Assessment Nursing
FRC	functional residual capacity	Air left in the lungs after a normal breath out	Respiratory
FRDA	Friedreich ataxia	Commonest inherited ataxia	Neurology Pediatrics
free flap	free flap (microvascular)	Tissue moved and reconnected by microsurgery	Surgery
free T3	free triiodothyronine	Unbound active thyroid hormone	Laboratory Endocrinology
free T4	free thyroxine	Unbound thyroid hormone measured in thyroid testing	Laboratory Endocrinology
Fregoli	Fregoli delusion (disguise)	Belief strangers are one familiar person in disguise	Psychiatry Neurology
Freiberg	Freiberg infraction (metatarsal head)	Second toe joint bone collapse	Pediatrics Musculoskeletal
frontal lobe	frontal lobe (anatomy)	Front brain region for planning and personality	Neurology
frozen section	frozen section (intraoperative)	Rapid pathology examination during surgery	Surgery Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
fructosamine	fructosamine (short-term glucose marker)	Marker reflecting glucose over the prior few weeks	Laboratory Endocrinology
FSE	fetal scalp electrode	Clip on the baby's head recording its heart rate	Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing
FSGS	focal segmental glomerulosclerosis	Scarring of some kidney filtering units	Renal & Nephrology
FSGS recurrence	FSGS recurrence (graft risk)	Rapid return of FSGS in a new kidney	Renal & Nephrology
FSH	follicle-stimulating hormone	Hormone controlling egg and sperm production	Laboratory Endocrinology Obstetrics & Gynecology
FSHD	facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy	Face shoulder and arm muscle disease	Neurology Musculoskeletal
FT3	free triiodothyronine	Unbound active thyroid hormone measured in blood	Laboratory Endocrinology
FT4	free thyroxine	Unbound thyroid hormone measured in blood	Laboratory Endocrinology
FTA	fluorescent treponemal antibody	Confirmatory syphilis test family	Laboratory Infectious Disease
FTA-ABS	fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption	Confirmatory syphilis blood test	Laboratory Infectious Disease
FTD	frontotemporal dementia	Dementia mainly affecting behaviour, personality or language	Neurology Psychiatry
FTSG	full-thickness skin graft	Full-depth skin moved to cover a wound	Surgery
FTT	failure to thrive	Poor weight gain or growth in an infant or child	Pediatrics
FTT diet	failure to thrive (nutrition context)	Poor growth needing nutritional support — nutrition	Pediatrics Nursing
FTT workup	failure to thrive workup (evaluation)	Testing for poor growth causes	Pediatrics
Fukuda	Fukuda stepping test (vestibular)	Alternate name for the stepping test	Neurology
full code	full code (status)	Full resuscitation attempt requested	Nursing Emergency & Critical Care
full workup	full sepsis workup (infant phrase)	Blood, urine, spinal fluid and cultures evaluation	Pediatrics Infectious Disease Emergency & Critical Care
FULV	fulvestrant (chart shorthand)	Injectable estrogen blocker shorthand	Prescription & Medication Orders Hematology & Oncology
functional abdo	functional abdominal pain disorders (group)	Gut-brain pain conditions of childhood	Pediatrics Gastroenterology Psychiatry
fundal height pp	fundal height (postpartum check)	Womb top level checked after birth	Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing
funisitis	funisitis (cord inflammation)	Inflammation of the umbilical cord	Pediatrics Obstetrics & Gynecology Laboratory
FUO	fever of unknown origin	Persistent fever without a found cause	General Medical Infectious Disease
furniture tip	furniture tip-over prevention (anchoring)	Anchoring dressers and televisions guidance	Pediatrics Nursing
fussy baby	fussy baby (presentation term)	Irritable baby presentation descriptor	Pediatrics
FVC	forced vital capacity	Total air blown out in one hard, full breath	Respiratory
FVIII	factor VIII	Clotting factor missing in haemophilia A	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FVL	factor V Leiden	Inherited gene change raising clot risk	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FWB	full weight-bearing	Putting full body weight through a limb	Musculoskeletal Nursing
fx	fraction (radiation)	One session of a divided radiation course	Radiology & Imaging Hematology & Oncology
Fx	fracture	A break in a bone	Musculoskeletal
FXIII	factor XIII	Clotting factor stabilising formed clots	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
FXS	fragile X syndrome	Inherited condition that is a common cause of intellectual disability	Pediatrics

Educational reference only. This guide is for learning and quick reference. Abbreviations vary between hospitals, countries and specialties, and some are discouraged because they can be misread. Always write and interpret orders using your own institution’s approved abbreviation list, and check anything unclear with the prescriber or your local policy.

Medical Abbreviations Starting With "F"

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