NPO
Formal Definition
Nil per os - nothing by mouth. Patient is not to eat or drink anything.
How It's Used on the Ward
"Make the patient NPO after midnight" - common pre-surgical order.
Example
"Resident: "The patient is going to the OR tomorrow morning. Make sure they're NPO after midnight and consents are signed.""
Clinical Context
One of the first Latin abbreviations you'll encounter. Forgetting to make a patient NPO before a procedure is a significant error.
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