The CAP medical abbreviation most often means community acquired pneumonia, a lung infection that a person catches in everyday life rather than in a hospital or care facility. Pneumonia of this kind fills many adult hospital beds every winter.
The same letters also turn up in imaging orders, where CT CAP means a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, and on medicine labels, where caps in lower case means capsules. Each use lives in a different part of the record, so they are easy to sort once you know them. Below you will find all three, sample lines decoded, and how CAP compares with other pneumonia shorthand such as PNA.
At a glance
Stands for
Community acquired pneumoniaOther meanings
Chest, abdomen and pelvis (CT CAP); caps for capsules on drug labelsUsual test
CXR, a chest X rayContrast term
HAP, hospital acquired pneumoniaWhere you see it
ED notes, admission and discharge summaries, radiology ordersWritten as
CAP for the diagnosis or scan; caps or cap for capsules
CAP medical abbreviation as community acquired pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection that fills the small air sacs of the lungs with fluid or pus. Community acquired means it started outside a hospital or long term care setting. The label matters because the germs that cause pneumonia at home tend to differ from those picked up in hospitals, and that guides which antibiotics a team chooses first.
Typical symptoms include cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath and chest pain when breathing in. Older adults may show mainly confusion or weakness. A chest X ray usually confirms it, and notes may add the location, such as right lower lobe, written RLL.
Decoding a pneumonia diagnosis line
| Note text | What it means |
|---|---|
| Dx: CAP | Diagnosis: community acquired pneumonia |
| RLL infiltrate | A cloudy area in the right lower lobe of the lung |
| on CXR | Seen on a chest X ray |
| start empiric antibiotics | Begin antibiotics chosen to cover the likely germs before test results return |
Dx means diagnosis and ABX is a common shorthand for antibiotics in the same notes.
CT CAP and other imaging uses
In radiology orders the CT CAP medical abbreviation stands for chest, abdomen and pelvis, so a CT CAP is one scan session covering all three areas. It is common in cancer staging, trauma and searching for a hidden source of infection.
Oncology order: "CT CAP with IV contrast for restaging." This means a CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis using contrast dye through a vein, to see how a cancer has responded to treatment. Here CAP has nothing to do with pneumonia.
A related order, CTAP, covers only the abdomen and pelvis.
Caps medical abbreviation on prescriptions
On prescriptions and labels, cap or caps in lower case is short for capsule or capsules, the dosage form. A line such as "amoxicillin 500 mg caps, 1 cap PO TID" tells the pharmacy the form and how many to take. Pharmacy labels for patients usually spell the word out. Tab or tabs is the matching shorthand for tablets.
So capitals in a diagnosis or imaging field point to pneumonia or a scan, while lower case caps next to a drug and a number points to capsules.
CAP compared with other pneumonia shorthand
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CAP | Community acquired pneumonia |
| HAP | Hospital acquired pneumonia, which begins at least two days into a hospital stay |
| VAP | Ventilator associated pneumonia, in patients on a breathing machine |
| PNA | Pneumonia in general, without saying where it began |
Explore more lung and infection terms on the diagnosis abbreviations page.
The information here is general. Whether pneumonia is treated at home or in hospital, and with which medicine, is decided by your own care team.
Frequently asked questions
What does CAP mean in a hospital chart?
In a diagnosis or problem list it usually means community acquired pneumonia. In a scan order it can mean chest, abdomen and pelvis, as in CT CAP.
What does CT CAP stand for?
CT CAP means a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis done together. It is often ordered with contrast for cancer staging or trauma.
Is CAP the same as PNA?
PNA means pneumonia of any kind. CAP is more specific and says the pneumonia started in the community, not in a hospital or care facility.
What does caps mean on a prescription?
Caps means capsules, the form of the medicine. A label line such as 1 cap means one capsule per dose.