CVS
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Consumer Value Stores |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Organizations & Companies, Medical, Technology & Computing |
CVS has four meanings. The most common are Consumer Value Stores (company and brand) and Chorionic villus sampling (obstetrics & gynecology); it can also stand for Cyclic vomiting syndrome and Concurrent Versions System.
Meanings of CVS at a glance
| # | CVS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Consumer Value Stores | Organizations & Companies › Company and Brand |
| 2 | Chorionic villus sampling | Medical › Obstetrics & Gynecology |
| 3 | Cyclic vomiting syndrome | Medical › Gastroenterology |
| 4 | Concurrent Versions System | Technology & Computing › Programming |
1. Consumer Value Stores
Organizations & Companies · Company and Brand Abbreviations
American pharmacy chain and healthcare company operating thousands of CVS Pharmacy stores, the Aetna health insurer and the Caremark pharmacy benefits manager. Headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Example: I picked up my prescription at the CVS drive-through.
Founded in 1963 in Lowell, Massachusetts, by brothers Stanley and Sidney Goldstein and Ralph Hoagland. CVS stopped selling tobacco in 2014. The parent company became CVS Health in 2014 and bought Aetna in 2018 for about $70 billion.
2. Chorionic villus sampling
Medical · Obstetrics & Gynecology Abbreviations
Diagnostic prenatal test in which a small sample of placental tissue is taken through the cervix or abdomen, usually at 10–13 weeks, for chromosomal or genetic analysis. It gives results earlier than amniocentesis.
Example: High-risk NIPT for trisomy 18; transabdominal CVS at 12 weeks, karyotype pending.
The added miscarriage risk is small and similar to that of amniocentesis. Confined placental mosaicism can occasionally give results that do not reflect the fetus. It is performed after 10 weeks because earlier procedures were linked to limb defects. In gastroenterology CVS means cyclic vomiting syndrome.
3. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
Medical · Gastroenterology Abbreviations
Disorder of recurrent, stereotyped episodes of severe nausea and vomiting lasting hours to days, separated by symptom-free intervals. Often linked to migraine, it affects children and adults; abortive treatment includes triptans and antiemetics, with tricyclics for prevention.
Example: Fourth episode of CVS this year, same early-morning onset; IV fluids, ondansetron and a dark quiet room.
Chronic cannabis use causes a look-alike condition, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which must be excluded. Many patients find relief from hot showers. In obstetrics CVS means chorionic villus sampling, and in public health it refers to cardiovascular system, so the context matters. Diagnosis follows Rome IV criteria.
4. Concurrent Versions System
Technology & Computing · Programming Abbreviations
An early open-source centralized version control system that let multiple developers work on the same files and merge their changes; it was standard in open-source projects through the 1990s and early 2000s.
Example: The project's history before 2004 was imported from CVS when it moved to Subversion.
Developed by Dick Grune in 1986 as shell scripts around RCS, then rewritten in C. CVS could not rename files or commit atomically, weaknesses Subversion was designed to fix. In the United States the letters are far better known as a pharmacy chain.
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More obstetrics & gynecology abbreviations
- COC – Combined oral contraceptive
- CRL – Crown-rump length
- CS – Cesarean section
- CST – Contraction stress test
- D&C – Dilation and curettage
- D&E – Dilation and evacuation
- EC – Emergency contraception
- EDC – Estimated date of confinement
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This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.