C/B Medical Abbreviation: Meaning and Use

What Does C/B Stand For in Medical Terms?

The abbreviation C/B stands for “complicated by.” It is commonly used in medical notes, reports, and patient charts. Doctors use it to quickly show that one health condition has led to another problem.

For example, if someone has pneumonia that results in sepsis, the note may read “Pneumonia c/b sepsis.” This way, the main condition and the complication are both clear.

Complications are not rare. In U.S. major surgeries, about 1 in 8 patients had complications afterward. Globally, tens of millions suffer complications from surgery each year. If patients see “c/b” in their records, it signals something that happens often in a medical context.

In practice, this abbreviation helps doctors keep records short while still sharing important details about a patient’s health.

Common Examples of C/B in Medicine

Here are some typical ways C/B appears in healthcare notes:

• Hypertension c/b stroke - high blood pressure led to a stroke.
• Diabetes c/b neuropathy - diabetes caused nerve-related complications.
• Surgery c/b infection - an infection developed after an operation.

It’s important to remember that these notes show a complication, not the main diagnosis itself.

When to Ask Your Doctor

If you notice C/B in your medical records, it often points to a complication worth understanding better. It’s especially important to ask questions if:

• You are not sure what the complication means.
• The note includes a condition you didn’t know you had.
• You want to understand how the complication may affect your recovery.

Other Related Medical Abbreviations

Alongside C/B, there are several other abbreviations you may notice in medical notes:

• C/O – “complains of.” For example, “C/O chest pain” means the patient reported chest pain.
• S/P – “status post.” This is used to describe a past event, such as “S/P surgery.”
• R/O – “rule out.” Doctors use this when considering but not confirming a diagnosis, such as “R/O pneumonia.