The CX medical abbreviation most often means culture, a lab test that grows germs from a sample so they can be identified, as in blood cx or urine cx. Depending on the setting it can also mean cervix in labor and delivery notes, cancel or canceled in scheduling, or the circumflex artery in heart reports.
Because one pair of letters covers several ideas, the words around it and the specialty of the writer decide the meaning. This page goes through each use with sample lines and points out the look alike terms that are easy to mix up.
At a glance
Stands for
Culture (most common)Other meanings
Cervix (obstetrics); cancel (scheduling); circumflex artery (cardiology)Written as
Cx, cx, CXWhere you see it
Lab orders, nursing notes, labor records, cath reportsPattern
The x replaces the rest of a word, as in Dx and HxDo not confuse with
CXR, chest x ray
Blood cx medical abbreviation: the culture meaning
In most hospital notes, cx means culture. A sample of blood, urine, sputum, wound fluid or other material is placed in conditions that let bacteria or fungi grow. If something grows, the lab identifies it and often tests which antibiotics work against it, a step called sensitivities.
Blood cultures are commonly drawn as a pair from two sites, written blood cx x2, and ideally before antibiotics start so the drugs do not mask the result. Results take time: early growth may be reported within a day or two, while a final no growth result usually takes several days, depending on the lab.
Reading culture lines in a chart
| Chart text | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| BCx x2 pending | Two sets of blood cultures sent; no result yet |
| UCx >100k E. coli | Urine culture grew a large amount of E. coli bacteria |
| Wound cx: NGTD | No growth to date so far |
| Cx and sens | Culture and sensitivity, which antibiotics will work |
ED note: "Febrile 102.4, BCx x2, UA with reflex cx, start empiric abx." The team drew blood cultures, sent a urine test that triggers a culture if abnormal, and started antibiotics before results.
Cervix in labor and delivery notes
In obstetrics, Cx can mean cervix, the lower part of the uterus that opens during labor. A cervical check records dilation in centimeters, effacement in percent and station, often in a compact form such as Cx 4/80/-1. That reads as four centimeters open, eighty percent thinned and the baby's head one centimeter above a set landmark in the pelvis.
The same exam is often called an SVE, sterile vaginal exam. In a labor record, Cx next to numbers like these almost never means culture.
Cancel and circumflex: two narrower uses
In scheduling and nursing task lists, cx or cx'd can mean cancel or canceled, as in MRI cx'd per pt request or surgery cx due to illness. This use belongs to logistics notes rather than clinical findings.
In cardiology, Cx or LCx names the left circumflex artery, one of the main heart arteries. A heart catheter report might say 70 percent stenosis of the mid LCx. The capital letters and the setting make this meaning clear. For more shorthand that changes meaning by setting, see the nursing chart abbreviations hub.
How to tell which CX is meant
- Next to a sample type such as blood, urine, sputum or wound: culture.
- Next to numbers in centimeters and percent in a labor record: cervix.
- Next to an appointment, test or procedure being stopped: cancel.
- In a heart catheter or imaging report next to a percent narrowing: circumflex artery.
If none of these fit, ask the writer. Spelling out the word is always clearer when a note leaves the department.
Culture results and exam findings are interpreted by your care team. Ask your nurse or clinician what a result in your own record means for you.
Frequently asked questions
What does blood cx mean?
It means blood culture, a test that checks for bacteria or fungi growing in the blood. It is often drawn in pairs, written blood cx x2.
What does NGTD mean on a culture?
It means no growth to date. Nothing has grown so far, but the culture may still be in progress.
What does Cx mean in labor?
In a labor record, Cx usually means cervix. It is followed by numbers for dilation, effacement and station.
Is CX the same as CXR?
No. CXR means chest x ray, an imaging test. CX alone usually means culture, or one of the other meanings depending on the setting.
What does cx'd mean on a schedule?
It means canceled. It is used in scheduling notes when an appointment, test or procedure will not go ahead as planned.