CRT
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Capillary refill time |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Medical, Technology & Computing, Law & Legal |
CRT has five meanings. The most common are Capillary refill time (patient assessment) and Cathode-ray tube (consumer electronics); it can also stand for Cardiac resynchronization therapy, Certified Respiratory Therapist and Charitable remainder trust.
Meanings of CRT at a glance
| # | CRT stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capillary refill time | Medical › Patient Assessment |
| 2 | Cathode-ray tube | Technology & Computing › Consumer Electronics |
| 3 | Cardiac resynchronization therapy | Medical › Cardiology |
| 4 | Certified Respiratory Therapist | Medical › Healthcare Credential |
| 5 | Charitable remainder trust | Law & Legal › Estate and Family Law |
1. Capillary refill time
Medical · Patient Assessment Abbreviations
Time it takes for color to return to a nail bed or skin after firm pressure is released, a quick bedside sign of peripheral perfusion. Normal values are generally under 2 to 3 seconds.
Example: CRT under 2 seconds all extremities, pulses 2+ bilaterally.
Pressure is applied for about five seconds and the limb held at heart level. Cold rooms, age and poor lighting prolong results, so it is interpreted with other signs. Pediatric triage gives it special weight because children maintain blood pressure until late shock. Respiratory therapy uses CRT for certified respiratory therapist.
2. Cathode-ray tube
Technology & Computing · Consumer Electronics Abbreviations
Display technology that fires electron beams at a phosphor-coated glass screen inside a vacuum tube, used in televisions and computer monitors for most of the 20th century. CRTs are deep, heavy and power-hungry compared with flat panels.
Example: We still keep a CRT in the basement for playing light-gun games like Duck Hunt.
Karl Ferdinand Braun built the first cathode-ray tube in 1897. Sony's Trinitron (1968) became one of the most respected designs. Flat panels overtook CRTs in sales in the mid-2000s. Retro gamers value CRTs for near-zero input lag and the look of low-resolution graphics, and classic light guns work only on them. CRT glass contains lead, so disposal requires recycling.
3. Cardiac resynchronization therapy
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Pacing treatment for heart failure in which leads in the right ventricle and, via the coronary sinus, on the left ventricle make both ventricles contract together. It benefits patients with an ejection fraction of 35 percent or less and a wide QRS, especially with left bundle branch block.
Example: CRT upgrade planned: LVEF 25%, LBBB with QRS 170 ms despite optimal medical therapy.
Also called biventricular pacing. Trials such as COMPANION (2004) and CARE-HF (2005) showed fewer deaths and hospitalizations. CRT works only if pacing occurs nearly all the time, ideally above 98 percent of beats. Pacing the conduction system directly (His bundle or left bundle branch area) is an emerging alternative. In nursing CRT more often means capillary refill time.
4. Certified Respiratory Therapist
Medical · Healthcare Credential Abbreviations
Entry-level credential from the NBRC awarded to respiratory therapy graduates who pass the Therapist Multiple-Choice (TMC) exam at the lower cut score.
Example: CRT, BS; working toward RRT, available for night shift.
Graduates who score above the higher cut score on the same exam become eligible to take the Clinical Simulation Exam for the RRT. Many employers require RRT within a set period. In cardiology CRT means cardiac resynchronization therapy, and in nursing capillary refill time.
5. Charitable remainder trust
Law & Legal · Estate and Family Law Abbreviations
Irrevocable trust that pays income to the donor or other beneficiaries for life or a term of up to 20 years, then passes the remaining assets to charity. The donor gets an income tax deduction for the charity's remainder interest, and the trust can sell appreciated assets without immediate capital gains tax.
Example: Selling the rental property inside a CRT let them defer capital gains and keep a lifetime income.
Variants are the charitable remainder annuity trust (CRAT), paying a fixed amount, and the charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT), paying a fixed percentage of the trust's annual value. The payout must be between 5 and 50 percent, and the charity's projected remainder must be at least 10 percent of the initial value. In medicine, CRT means cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Related abbreviations
More patient assessment abbreviations
- CIWA-Ar – Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, revised
- CMS – Circulation, motion, sensation
- COWS – Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale
- CPOT – Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool
- CTA – Clear to auscultation
- CTAB – Clear to auscultation bilaterally
- CVAT – Costovertebral angle tenderness
- EOMI – Extraocular movements intact
See all 65 patient assessment abbreviations →
More consumer electronics abbreviations
- CCTV – Closed-circuit television
- CD – Compact Disc
- CEC – Consumer Electronics Control
- CES – Consumer Electronics Show
- DAC – Digital-to-analog converter
- DLNA – Digital Living Network Alliance
- DLP – Digital Light Processing
- DSLR – Digital single-lens reflex
See all 104 consumer electronics abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical or legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.