French Medical Abbreviations You Should Know

Why French Medical Abbreviations Are Different

Many French medical abbreviations look nothing like their English equivalents. IDM is not obvious as myocardial infarction. FEVG is not immediately recognisable as ejection fraction. This is because French abbreviations derive from French terms, not Latin or Greek directly. Learning them requires a fresh memorisation effort — you cannot simply map your existing knowledge.

Additionally, French clinical writing tends to be highly abbreviated. Ward notes, observation charts, and handover documents compress enormous amounts of information into very short space. A nurse reading the transmissions (nursing handover notes) will encounter a dozen abbreviations per patient. If you work with French medical documents regularly, this guide is essential reading.

Patient History Abbreviations (Antécédents)

Common Diagnoses and Conditions

Medication and Treatment Abbreviations

For a guide to how these medications are discussed in consultations and on prescriptions, see our article on talking about medication and treatments in French.

Laboratory and Investigation Abbreviations

Pain Assessment Abbreviations

Pain scales are central to French clinical documentation. The most commonly used is the EVA (échelle visuelle analogique) — equivalent to the VAS (visual analogue scale). You will also see:

• EVA — Échelle visuelle analogique — the 0–10 pain scale, where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain
• EN — Échelle numérique — the numerical rating scale (same principle, verbal rather than visual)
• DOLOPLUS — a behavioural pain scale for elderly or non-verbal patients
• ALGOPLUS — a simplified version for acute pain in cognitively impaired elderly patients

In a clinical note, you will see: Douleur EVA à 7/10, localisée à l’hypochondre droit — Pain rated 7/10 on the VAS, located in the right hypochondrium.

For full vocabulary around pain description, see our article on pain, symptoms, and injuries in French.

Ward and Administrative Abbreviations

Abbreviations in French Nursing Documentation

Nursing notes (les transmissions infirmières) have their own set of abbreviations. If you work in a French nursing team or read nursing handover notes, these come up constantly. For more context on how these are used in practice, see our article on medical French for nurses.

• T° — Température — Temperature
• TA — Tension artérielle — Blood pressure
• FC — Fréquence cardiaque — Heart rate
• FR — Fréquence respiratoire — Respiratory rate
• SpO2 — Saturation en oxygène pulsée — Oxygen saturation
• DU — Diurèse urinaire — Urinary output
• SNG — Sonde nasogastrique — Nasogastric tube
• SV — Sonde vésicale — Urinary catheter
• VVP — Voie veineuse périphérique — Peripheral IV line
• VVC — Voie veineuse centrale — Central venous line
• PSE / PSA — Pousse-seringue électrique / automatique — Syringe driver
• SAP — Seringue auto-pousseuse — Syringe pump
• PAO / PAI — Pression artérielle oscillométrique / invasive — Non-invasive / invasive blood pressure monitoring