Lab test abbreviations are the short names for blood work, urine studies, heart and brain tracings and imaging scans, such as CBC for a complete blood count or CXR for a chest x-ray. They appear on order slips, in patient portal result lists and throughout hospital notes.
Below, the usual ones are sorted by sample type and purpose, followed by practical tips for reading a result screen. Every linked term has its own page explaining what the test measures in general and how its name appears in reports.
At a glance
Covers
Blood panels, markers, clotting, urine, imaging, tracingsWhere you see it
Order slips, portal results, hospital notes, referral lettersReference ranges
Set by each lab and printed beside your resultPanels
One name can stand for a group of tests, such as BMP or LFTRelated hub
How lab test abbreviations are grouped on a report
Results usually arrive in panels. A panel is a set of tests run on one sample and listed under one short name, so a single line such as CMP can expand into more than a dozen rows. Each row has the test name, your value, the unit and the lab's reference range, with an H or L flag when a value falls outside that range.
Portal entry: "BMP: Na 139, K 4.1, BUN 14, Cr 0.9, Glu 102 H." These are sodium, potassium, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and glucose. The H beside glucose means it sat above that lab's range on that draw; only the ordering clinician can say what it means for the person tested.
Blood counts and chemistry
These are the tests ordered most often in clinics and hospitals. A blood count looks at cells, while a metabolic panel looks at the chemistry of the fluid around them.
| Term | Full name | What it looks at |
|---|---|---|
| CBC | Complete blood count | Red cells, white cells and platelets |
| HCT | Hematocrit | Share of blood volume made up of red cells |
| ANC | Absolute neutrophil count | Infection fighting white cells |
| BMP | Basic metabolic panel | Salts, kidney markers and glucose |
| CMP | Comprehensive metabolic panel | The BMP plus liver tests and proteins |
| BUN | Blood urea nitrogen | A waste product cleared by the kidneys |
| GFR | Glomerular filtration rate | An estimate of kidney filtering |
| LFT | Liver function tests | A group of liver enzymes and related markers |
| ALT | Alanine aminotransferase | One liver enzyme in that group |
Hormones, markers and inflammation
Single marker tests answer narrower questions. Some screen for a problem, some track a known condition, and inflammation tests point to activity somewhere in the body without saying where.
Clotting, urine and other samples
Clotting tests are common for people taking certain blood thinners, such as warfarin, which is monitored with the INR. Urine and fluid tests use samples other than a routine blood draw.
| Term | Full name |
|---|---|
| INR | International normalized ratio, a clotting time result |
| PTT | Partial thromboplastin time |
| UA | Urinalysis |
| UDS | Urine drug screen |
| ABG | Arterial blood gas, oxygen and acid balance in arterial blood |
| CSF | Cerebrospinal fluid, collected by a spinal tap |
The PTT is often used to follow heparin given through a vein in the hospital. A urine drug screen is a first look test, and a positive screen is often confirmed with a second, more specific method before anyone acts on it.
Imaging and tracings
Imaging names describe the machine and often the body part, so CT chest or MRI brain tells you both. Tracings record electrical activity rather than taking a picture.
| Term | Test |
|---|---|
| CXR | Chest x-ray |
| CT | Computed tomography, a cross section x-ray scan |
| MRI | Magnetic resonance imaging |
| CTA | CT angiography, a CT scan of blood vessels with contrast |
| KUB | Plain abdominal x-ray of kidneys, ureters and bladder |
| TTE | Transthoracic echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart through the chest |
| EKG | Electrocardiogram, a tracing of the heart rhythm |
| EEG | Electroencephalogram, a tracing of brain waves |
EKG and ECG name the same test. A related heart ultrasound done from inside the esophagus, the food pipe, is a TEE, transesophageal echocardiogram.
Reading results in a patient portal
- Judge each value against its own lab's range on the same screen, not one found elsewhere.
- A value just outside the range is common and does not always mean a problem; the ordering clinician interprets it in context.
- Look at trends over time when several results are shown.
- Imaging reports end with an impression section, which is the radiologist's summary.
Vital sign shorthand such as BP and HR often sits next to lab results on the same screen. Diagnoses mentioned in reports are grouped in the conditions hub, and procedures such as biopsies sit with surgery terms.
Test names and general ranges explain what was measured, not what it means for you. Ask the clinician who ordered the test to walk you through your own results.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a BMP and a CMP?
A BMP checks salts, kidney markers and glucose. A CMP includes all of those plus liver tests and blood proteins, so it is the larger panel.
What does H or L mean next to a lab result?
H means the value is above the lab's reference range and L means it is below. These flags draw attention to a number, and the ordering clinician decides whether it matters.
Why do normal ranges differ between labs?
Labs use different machines, methods and reference groups, so each sets its own range. Always read your result against the range printed on the same report.
Is an EKG the same as an ECG?
Yes. Both stand for electrocardiogram; EKG comes from the German spelling and remains common in the United States.
What does CBC with diff mean?
It is a complete blood count with a differential, which breaks the white cell count into its different types. It is one of the most commonly ordered blood tests.