CSF
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Cerebrospinal fluid |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Medical, Business & Finance |
CSF has two meanings. It stands for Cerebrospinal fluid (laboratory test) or Critical success factor (management & strategy).
Meanings of CSF at a glance
| # | CSF stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerebrospinal fluid | Medical › Laboratory Test |
| 2 | Critical success factor | Business & Finance › Management & Strategy |
1. Cerebrospinal fluid
Medical · Laboratory Test Abbreviations
Clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, sampled by lumbar puncture and analyzed for cell count, glucose, protein, Gram stain, culture and molecular tests. Normal adult fluid has no more than about 5 white cells per microliter, protein around 15 to 45 mg/dL and glucose about 60 percent of blood glucose.
Example: CSF: WBC 1,200 (90% neutrophils), glucose 18, protein 240; bacterial meningitis, continue ceftriaxone and vancomycin.
Adults have about 150 mL of CSF, replaced several times daily from roughly 500 mL produced each day by the choroid plexus. Fluid is collected in numbered tubes for chemistry, microbiology and cell counts; falling red cell counts from first to last tube suggest a traumatic tap rather than bleeding. Yellow discoloration (xanthochromia) supports subarachnoid hemorrhage.
2. Critical success factor
Business & Finance · Management & Strategy Abbreviations
Element an organization, project or strategy must get right in order to achieve its mission, such as securing a key supplier, retaining expert staff or hitting a launch date. Identifying a handful of CSFs helps leaders decide where to focus attention and which KPIs to track.
Example: Regulatory approval before the holiday season is the single CSF for this product launch.
John F. Rockart of MIT's Sloan School popularized the idea in a 1979 Harvard Business Review article on executives' information needs. CSFs describe what must go well, while KPIs measure how well it is going. The similar phrase "key success factor" (KSF) appears mainly in industry analysis.
Related abbreviations
More laboratory test abbreviations
- CPK – Creatine phosphokinase
- Cr – Creatinine
- CrCl – Creatinine clearance
- CRP – C-reactive protein
- DAT – Direct antiglobulin test
- DBili – Direct bilirubin
- dsDNA – Anti-double-stranded DNA antibody
- EDTA – Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
See all 135 laboratory test abbreviations →
More management & strategy abbreviations
- CAPA – Corrective and preventive action
- CI – Continuous improvement
- COB – Close of business
- CoE – Center of excellence
- CSR – Corporate social responsibility
- CTQ – Critical to quality
- DMAIC – Define, measure, analyze, improve, control
- DPMO – Defects per million opportunities
See all 92 management & strategy abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.