Medical Abbreviations Starting With "N"

This page lists 186 medical abbreviations starting with "N", 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 F G H I J K L M 0–9 O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Abbreviation	Full form	What it means	Used in
N/V	nausea and vomiting	Feeling sick and throwing up	General Medical Gastroenterology
N95	N95 respirator	Fitted mask filtering airborne particles	Nursing Infectious Disease Respiratory
Na	sodium	Main salt electrolyte measured in blood	Laboratory
NAAT	nucleic acid amplification test	Lab test detecting genetic material of germs	Laboratory Infectious Disease
NACS	Neurologic and Adaptive Capacity Score	Newborn examination after anesthesia exposure	Pediatrics Obstetrics & Gynecology
NAD	no acute distress	Patient appears comfortable and not severely unwell	General Medical
NAFLD	non-alcoholic fatty liver disease	Fat build-up in the liver unrelated to alcohol	Gastroenterology
NAGMA	non-anion gap metabolic acidosis	Chloride-driven acidosis type	Emergency & Critical Care Laboratory Renal & Nephrology
NAION	non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy	Optic nerve damage from reduced blood flow	General Medical Neurology
NAIT	neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia	Antibody-caused low platelets in a newborn	Pediatrics Hematology & Oncology Obstetrics & Gynecology
naloxone home	naloxone (household availability)	Overdose reversal medicine in homes with opioids	Pediatrics Emergency & Critical Care Prescription & Medication Orders
NALS	neonatal advanced life support	Emergency resuscitation care for newborns	Emergency & Critical Care Pediatrics Obstetrics & Gynecology
NAM	nasoalveolar molding (cleft appliance)	Presurgical infant cleft shaping appliance	Pediatrics Surgery
NAR	nonallergic rhinitis	Nasal inflammation not driven by allergy	General Medical
NAS	neonatal abstinence syndrome	Withdrawal symptoms in a newborn exposed to certain substances before birth	Pediatrics
NAS	no added salt	Meal prepared without extra salt	Nursing Cardiology
nasal flaring	nasal flaring (distress sign)	Nostrils widening with breathing effort	Pediatrics Respiratory Nursing Emergency & Critical Care
NASH	non-alcoholic steatohepatitis	Fatty liver inflammation unrelated to alcohol	Gastroenterology
NaSSA	noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant	Mirtazapine's antidepressant class	Psychiatry Prescription & Medication Orders
NAT	non-accidental trauma	Injury in a child caused by abuse or neglect	Pediatrics Emergency & Critical Care
NAT	nucleic acid testing	DNA/RNA detection used in blood donor screening	Laboratory Infectious Disease Hematology & Oncology
natal teeth	natal teeth (present at birth)	Teeth present at birth	Pediatrics
NAVA	neurally adjusted ventilatory assist	Diaphragm-signal triggered ventilation	Respiratory Emergency & Critical Care
NB	nasal bone (ultrasound marker)	Presence of the fetal nose bone on scan	Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging
NB-UVB	narrowband ultraviolet B	Focused light treatment for skin conditions	General Medical
NBM	nil by mouth	Nothing to eat or drink	Gastroenterology Nursing
NBS	newborn screen	Heel-stick screening panel for inherited disorders	Laboratory Pediatrics
NBS	newborn screening (abbreviation)	Heel-prick test program abbreviation	Pediatrics Laboratory
NC	nasal cannula	Thin tube with prongs in the nostrils delivering oxygen	Respiratory
NCCT	non-contrast computed tomography	CT without intravenous contrast	Radiology & Imaging
NCD	neurocognitive disorder	Acquired decline in thinking from a medical or brain cause	Psychiatry Neurology
NCS	nerve conduction study	Test of how fast electrical signals travel along a nerve	Neurology
NCS	no concentrated sweets	Meal limiting sugary foods	Nursing Endocrinology
NCSE	nonconvulsive status epilepticus	Seizure activity without convulsions	Neurology Emergency & Critical Care
NCT	non-contact tonometry	Air-puff eye pressure measurement	General Medical
NCV	nerve conduction velocity	Speed at which a signal travels along a nerve	Neurology
Nd:YAG	neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser	Laser type used in eye procedures	General Medical Surgery
NDD	National Dysphagia Diet	Standard levels for swallowing-safe food textures	Nursing Neurology
NDI	Neck Disability Index	Neck pain disability questionnaire	Musculoskeletal
NDM	New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase	Resistance enzyme in some bacteria	Infectious Disease Laboratory
NDPH	new daily persistent headache	Headache starting one day and never stopping	Neurology
NDRI	norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor	Bupropion's antidepressant class	Psychiatry Prescription & Medication Orders
near miss	near miss (safety)	Error caught before reaching the patient	Nursing General Medical
Neb	nebulizer	Device turning liquid medicine into a breathable mist	Respiratory Prescription & Medication Orders
nebulizer mask	nebulizer mask (device)	Mask delivering aerosol medicine	Nursing Respiratory
NEC	necrotizing enterocolitis	Serious bowel disease mainly affecting premature babies	Pediatrics Gastroenterology Emergency & Critical Care
neck dissection	neck dissection (oncologic)	Removal of neck lymph nodes for cancer	Surgery Hematology & Oncology
nectar-thick	nectar-thick liquids	Mildly thickened fluid consistency	Nursing Neurology
NED	no evidence of disease	Scans and tests show no remaining cancer	Hematology & Oncology
negative symptoms	negative symptoms (psychosis group)	Flat affect, poverty of speech and low drive group	Psychiatry
NELA	National Emergency Laparotomy Audit risk	Emergency abdominal surgery risk model	Surgery Emergency & Critical Care
neobladder	orthotopic neobladder (construction)	New bladder made from bowel	Surgery Renal & Nephrology
neonatal teeth	neonatal teeth (first month)	Teeth erupting in the first month	Pediatrics
NeoPuff	NeoPuff (T-piece brand)	Newborn T-piece resuscitator brand	Pediatrics Emergency & Critical Care
Neph	nephrology	Medical specialty of the kidneys	Renal & Nephrology
nephrectomy radical	radical nephrectomy	Kidney removal with surrounding tissue for cancer	Surgery Renal & Nephrology Hematology & Oncology
nephrogenic DI	nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (type)	Kidney hormone resistance type	Emergency & Critical Care Endocrinology Renal & Nephrology
nephrostomy	percutaneous nephrostomy (procedure)	Kidney drainage tube through the back	Renal & Nephrology Radiology & Imaging Surgery
nephrotic child	childhood nephrotic syndrome (term)	Protein-leaking kidney syndrome of childhood	Pediatrics Renal & Nephrology
NET	neuroendocrine tumour	Tumour arising from hormone-producing cells	Hematology & Oncology Endocrinology
neuroblastoma	neuroblastoma (diagnosis)	Adrenal nerve tumor of childhood — diagnosis	Pediatrics Hematology & Oncology Surgery
neuroma pain	neuroma (painful nerve end)	Painful tangled nerve ending after injury	Neurology Surgery Musculoskeletal
Neut	neutrophils	Most common white cells, first responders to infection	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology Infectious Disease
neutropenic precautions	neutropenic precautions (protective)	Protecting a patient with very low white cells	Nursing Hematology & Oncology Infectious Disease
newborn screen	newborn screening (program)	Heel-prick screening program — program	Pediatrics Laboratory
NEWS	National Early Warning Score	Score flagging deteriorating ward patients	Emergency & Critical Care Vitals & Assessment Nursing
NEWS2	National Early Warning Score 2	Updated score flagging deteriorating ward patients	Emergency & Critical Care Vitals & Assessment Nursing
NEXUS	National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study criteria	Decision criteria for neck imaging after injury	Emergency & Critical Care Radiology & Imaging
NF1	neurofibromatosis type 1	Inherited condition causing nerve tumours	Neurology Pediatrics
NF2	neurofibromatosis type 2	Inherited condition causing tumours on hearing nerves	Neurology
NfL	neurofilament light chain	Nerve injury marker in blood and CSF	Neurology Laboratory
nfvPPA	nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia	Effortful speech dementia variant	Neurology Psychiatry
NG	nasogastric	Through the nose into the stomach, as a tube	Nursing Gastroenterology
NG decompression	nasogastric decompression (therapy)	Stomach drainage relieving bowel blockage	Nursing Gastroenterology Surgery
NG dependence	nasogastric tube dependence (feeding)	Continued tube reliance beyond medical need	Pediatrics Gastroenterology Nursing
NG feeds	nasogastric feeding (eating disorder care)	Tube feeding in eating disorder treatment	Psychiatry Pediatrics Nursing
NG tube	nasogastric tube (device)	Nose-to-stomach tube — device	Nursing Gastroenterology
NGS	next-generation sequencing	Fast large-scale reading of DNA	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
NGT	nasogastric tube	Tube through the nose into the stomach	Gastroenterology Nursing
NGU	nongonococcal urethritis	Inflammation of the urethra not caused by gonorrhoea	Infectious Disease Renal & Nephrology
NHL	non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Group of lymphatic system cancers	Hematology & Oncology
NIAAA guide	NIAAA single alcohol screening question	Recommended one-question alcohol screen	Psychiatry General Medical
NICE	National Institute for Health and Care Excellence	United Kingdom body issuing clinical guidance	General Medical
nicotine ingestion	liquid nicotine ingestion (vape hazard)	E-liquid poisoning hazard for children	Pediatrics Emergency & Critical Care
NICU	neonatal intensive care unit	Unit for critically ill newborn babies	Emergency & Critical Care Pediatrics Obstetrics & Gynecology
NIDCAP	Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program	Structured developmental care program	Pediatrics Nursing
Niemann-Pick	Niemann-Pick disease (lysosomal)	Storage disorder with liver and lung disease	Pediatrics Laboratory
NIF	negative inspiratory force (monitoring)	Breathing strength measure — monitoring	Neurology Respiratory Emergency & Critical Care
NIF wean	negative inspiratory force (weaning criterion)	Breathing strength threshold for weaning	Respiratory Emergency & Critical Care
night pain bone	night pain (bone warning)	Bone pain waking at night, a tumor warning	Pediatrics Musculoskeletal Hematology & Oncology
nightstick	nightstick fracture (ulna)	Direct-blow forearm bone fracture	Musculoskeletal
NIHSS	National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale	Score measuring stroke severity	Neurology Emergency & Critical Care
Nikolsky	Nikolsky sign (skin)	Skin sliding with gentle rubbing — sign	Pediatrics Infectious Disease Emergency & Critical Care
NILO	nilotinib (chart shorthand)	Leukemia kinase blocker shorthand	Prescription & Medication Orders Hematology & Oncology
NIPD	nocturnal intermittent peritoneal dialysis	Dry-day night cycler dialysis	Renal & Nephrology
nipple shield	nipple shield (feeding aid)	Silicone cover aiding latch	Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing
nipple sparing mast	nipple-sparing mastectomy	Breast removal preserving nipple and skin	Surgery Hematology & Oncology
NIPPV	nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation ()	Machine breaths through the nose	Pediatrics Respiratory Emergency & Critical Care
NIPS	Neonatal Infant Pain Scale	Newborn pain scoring tool	Pediatrics Nursing
NIPT	noninvasive prenatal testing	Blood test in pregnancy screening for certain chromosome conditions	Obstetrics & Gynecology Laboratory
NIRS	cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (monitoring)	Brain oxygen monitoring — monitoring	Pediatrics Emergency & Critical Care Neurology
nirsevimab	nirsevimab (RSV antibody)	Long-acting RSV antibody for infants	Pediatrics Infectious Disease Prescription & Medication Orders
NIT	nitrofurantoin (chart shorthand)	Urinary antibiotic chart shorthand	Prescription & Medication Orders Infectious Disease Renal & Nephrology
nitrazine	nitrazine test (fluid pH)	Paper test suggesting waters have broken	Obstetrics & Gynecology Laboratory
NIV	noninvasive ventilation	Breathing support through a mask, without a breathing tube	Respiratory
NIV asthma	noninvasive ventilation (asthma)	Mask support in severe asthma	Pediatrics Respiratory Emergency & Critical Care
NIV neonate	noninvasive ventilation (neonatal)	Breathing support without a tube — neonatal	Pediatrics Respiratory
NIVO	nivolumab (chart shorthand)	PD-1 immune checkpoint drug shorthand	Prescription & Medication Orders Hematology & Oncology
NKA	no known allergies	No allergies recorded for the patient	General Medical Nursing
NKDA	no known drug allergies	No medicine allergies recorded for the patient	General Medical Nursing Prescription & Medication Orders
NKFA	no known food allergies	No food allergies recorded for the patient	General Medical Nursing
NLDO	nasolacrimal duct obstruction (blocked tear duct)	Blocked tear drainage of babies	Pediatrics Surgery
NLP	no light perception	Complete absence of light vision	General Medical
NM	nuclear medicine	Imaging using small amounts of radioactive tracers	Radiology & Imaging
NMA	nonmyeloablative conditioning	Lightest transplant preparation relying on graft-versus-tumor effect	Hematology & Oncology
NMB	neuromuscular blockade	Muscle paralysis from anaesthetic medicines	Surgery Emergency & Critical Care
NMB vent	neuromuscular blockade (ventilation adjunct)	Paralyzing medicines easing ventilation	Respiratory Emergency & Critical Care Prescription & Medication Orders
NMDAR ab	anti-NMDA receptor antibody	Autoimmune encephalitis antibody	Neurology Laboratory Psychiatry
NMO	neuromyelitis optica	Immune disease attacking the optic nerves and spinal cord	Neurology
NMOSD	neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder	Group of immune attacks on optic nerves and spinal cord	Neurology
NMS	neuroleptic malignant syndrome	Rare severe reaction with fever, rigidity and confusion	Psychiatry Neurology Emergency & Critical Care
NMSS	Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (Parkinson)	Parkinson non-movement symptom scale	Neurology
NNH	number needed to harm	Patients treated for one extra person to be harmed	General Medical
NNRTI	non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor	HIV drug class	Infectious Disease Prescription & Medication Orders
NNT	number needed to treat	Patients to treat for one extra person to benefit	General Medical
no-harm contract	no-harm contract (older practice)	Agreement not to self-harm, now replaced by safety planning	Psychiatry
NOAC	novel oral anticoagulant	Earlier name for direct blood-thinning tablets	Cardiology Prescription & Medication Orders
NODAT	new-onset diabetes after transplantation	Diabetes appearing after transplant	Renal & Nephrology Endocrinology Surgery
non-tunneled	non-tunneled catheter (temporary access)	Short-term bedside dialysis line	Renal & Nephrology Emergency & Critical Care Nursing
nonnutritive	nonnutritive sucking (pacifier comfort)	Pacifier soothing during procedures	Pediatrics Nursing
Noonan	Noonan syndrome (genetic)	Short stature and heart defect genetic syndrome	Pediatrics Cardiology
Norepi	norepinephrine	Noradrenaline, a medicine supporting blood pressure	Prescription & Medication Orders Emergency & Critical Care
NORSE	new-onset refractory status epilepticus	Refractory status without a prior cause	Neurology Emergency & Critical Care
Norwood	Norwood procedure (single ventricle)	First-stage surgery for hypoplastic left heart	Pediatrics Cardiology Surgery
NOS	not otherwise specified (psych diagnosis suffix)	Diagnosis category suffix for atypical presentations	Psychiatry General Medical
NoV	norovirus	Leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea outbreaks	Infectious Disease Gastroenterology Laboratory
NOWS	neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (diagnosis)	Newborn opioid withdrawal — diagnosis	Pediatrics Psychiatry Nursing
NP	nurse practitioner	Advanced practice nurse who assesses and treats patients	Nursing General Medical
NPA	nasopharyngeal airway	Soft tube through the nose keeping the airway open	Emergency & Critical Care
NPD	narcissistic personality disorder	Personality pattern of grandiosity and need for admiration	Psychiatry
NPDR	non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy	Earlier stage of diabetic retina damage	General Medical Endocrinology
NPDR	nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy	Earlier stage of diabetic retinal disease	General Medical Endocrinology
nPEP	non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis	HIV prevention after community exposure	Infectious Disease Prescription & Medication Orders
NPH	normal pressure hydrocephalus	Fluid build-up in the brain causing walking and memory problems	Neurology
NPI	Neuropsychiatric Inventory	Behavioral symptom scale in dementia	Psychiatry Neurology
NPI-Q	Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire	Brief dementia behavior symptom scale	Neurology Psychiatry
NPO	nil per os	Nothing to eat or drink by mouth	Nursing Prescription & Medication Orders
NPO	nothing by mouth (order)	Order to take no food or drink — order	Nursing Prescription & Medication Orders Surgery
NPO after MN	nothing by mouth after midnight	Standard pre-procedure fasting order	Nursing Surgery
NPPV	noninvasive positive pressure ventilation	Mask breathing support using positive air pressure	Respiratory
NPWT	negative pressure wound therapy	Vacuum dressing helping a wound heal	Surgery Nursing
NPWT change	negative pressure wound therapy change	Changing a vacuum wound dressing	Nursing Surgery
NRB	non-rebreather mask	Oxygen mask with a reservoir bag for high oxygen levels	Respiratory
NRBC	nucleated red blood cell	Immature red cell with a nucleus, abnormal in adult blood	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
NRDS	neonatal respiratory distress syndrome	Newborn breathing difficulty from immature lungs	Respiratory Pediatrics
NRP	Neonatal Resuscitation Program (algorithm)	Newborn resuscitation training algorithm	Pediatrics Obstetrics & Gynecology Emergency & Critical Care
NRP donation	normothermic regional perfusion (donation)	In-body organ perfusion after circulatory death	Renal & Nephrology Surgery
NRS	numeric rating scale	Zero-to-ten scale rating a symptom such as pain	Vitals & Assessment
NRTI	nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor	HIV drug backbone class	Infectious Disease Prescription & Medication Orders
NS	nephrotic syndrome	Kidney condition with heavy protein loss and swelling	Renal & Nephrology
NS	normal saline	Salt water solution matching body salt concentration	Prescription & Medication Orders Nursing
NS flush	normal saline flush	Saline line-clearing saline syringe	Nursing
NSAID	nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug	Pain and inflammation medicine not containing steroids	Prescription & Medication Orders
NSCLC	non-small cell lung cancer	Most common group of lung cancers	Respiratory Hematology & Oncology
NSE	neuron-specific enolase	Tumor marker used in small cell lung and neuroendocrine cancers	Laboratory Hematology & Oncology
NSIP	nonspecific interstitial pneumonia	Pattern of lung inflammation and scarring on biopsy or scan	Respiratory
NSQIP	National Surgical Quality Improvement Program calculator	Surgical risk prediction program	Surgery
NSR	normal sinus rhythm	Normal heartbeat controlled by the heart's natural pacemaker	Cardiology
NSSI	nonsuicidal self-injury	Deliberate self-harm without intent to die	Psychiatry
NST	nonstress test	Monitoring of the baby's heart rate before birth	Obstetrics & Gynecology
NSTEMI	non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction	Heart attack without the full-blockage ECG pattern	Cardiology
NSVD	normal spontaneous vaginal delivery	Uncomplicated vaginal birth without surgical assistance	Obstetrics & Gynecology
NSVT	non-sustained ventricular tachycardia	Short run of fast lower-chamber rhythm that stops itself	Cardiology
NT	nuchal translucency	Fluid measurement at the back of a baby's neck on ultrasound	Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging
NT scan	nuchal translucency scan	First-trimester ultrasound screening measurement	Obstetrics & Gynecology Radiology & Imaging
NT-proBNP	N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide	Blood marker used to help assess heart failure	Cardiology Laboratory
NTG	nitroglycerin	Medicine that widens blood vessels to relieve chest pain	Cardiology
NTG	normal-tension glaucoma	Glaucoma damage despite normal pressure	General Medical
NTM	nontuberculous mycobacteria	Mycobacteria other than TB that can infect the lungs	Respiratory Infectious Disease
NTx	N-terminal telopeptide	Bone resorption marker measured in urine or blood	Laboratory Musculoskeletal
Nu-DESC	Nursing Delirium Screening Scale	Bedside nurse delirium screen	Nursing Neurology Emergency & Critical Care
nummular	nummular headache (coin-shaped)	Coin-sized area of head pain	Neurology
nursemaid	nursemaid elbow (radial head subluxation)	Pulled elbow of toddlers	Pediatrics Musculoskeletal Emergency & Critical Care
NWB	non-weight-bearing	Putting no weight through a limb	Musculoskeletal Nursing
NYHA	New York Heart Association	Classification of how much heart failure limits activity	Cardiology
nystagmus types	nystagmus (direction types)	Rhythmic eye oscillation described by direction	Neurology

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 "N"

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