APC
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Armored personnel carrier |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Military, Medical, Education & Academia |
APC has four meanings. The most common are Armored personnel carrier (weapon and military equipment) and Argon plasma coagulation (gastroenterology); it can also stand for Ambulatory payment classification and Article processing charge.
Meanings of APC at a glance
| # | APC stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armored personnel carrier | Military › Weapon and Military Equipment |
| 2 | Argon plasma coagulation | Medical › Gastroenterology |
| 3 | Ambulatory payment classification | Medical › Health Insurance |
| 4 | Article processing charge | Education & Academia › Academic |
1. Armored personnel carrier
Military · Weapon and Military Equipment Abbreviations
Armored vehicle designed to carry infantry to the battlefield protected from small arms fire and shell fragments, usually lightly armed with a machine gun. The US M113 is a classic example.
Example: Soldiers rode in APCs through the city to the government building.
APCs differ from infantry fighting vehicles, which carry heavier weapons and fight alongside tanks. Armored fighting vehicle (AFV) is the broader term for all combat vehicles. The M113 entered service in 1960 and was produced in tens of thousands.
2. Argon plasma coagulation
Medical · Gastroenterology Abbreviations
Noncontact endoscopic technique that delivers electrical energy through ionized argon gas to coagulate tissue superficially. It treats bleeding vascular lesions such as angioectasias, GAVE and radiation proctitis, and is used to ablate residual polyp tissue.
Example: Multiple duodenal angioectasias treated with APC at 30 watts.
The shallow depth of injury makes APC relatively safe in thin-walled areas such as the right colon. In oncology and genetics APC refers to the adenomatous polyposis coli gene, mutated in FAP. Gas buildup in the bowel must be suctioned to avoid overdistension during the procedure.
3. Ambulatory payment classification
Medical · Health Insurance Abbreviations
Groups of clinically similar outpatient hospital services with similar costs, each assigned a payment rate under Medicare's Outpatient Prospective Payment System. A single outpatient visit can generate several APC payments.
Example: Level 4 imaging APC assigned to the CT with contrast.
Comprehensive APCs package all related services for certain major procedures into one payment. Relative weights are recalculated annually from hospital cost data. In gastroenterology APC means argon plasma coagulation, and in genetics adenomatous polyposis coli.
4. Article processing charge
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Fee that an open-access journal charges authors, their institutions or funders to publish an accepted article, replacing subscription revenue. APCs range from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000 at the most prestigious journals.
Example: The grant budget includes $3,000 for APCs on two planned papers.
Many universities negotiate "transformative agreements" that bundle subscriptions with APC coverage for their authors. Critics argue that high APCs shift costs onto researchers and disadvantage scholars from poorer institutions and countries. "Diamond" open-access journals charge neither readers nor authors.
Related abbreviations
More weapon and military equipment abbreviations
- AH – Attack helicopter
- AK-47 – Avtomat Kalashnikova (Kalashnikov automatic rifle), model 1947
- ALCM – Air-launched cruise missile
- AMRAAM – Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile
- APFSDS – Armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot
- AR-15 – ArmaLite Rifle, model 15
- ATACMS – Army Tactical Missile System
- ATGM – Anti-tank guided missile
See all 77 weapon and military equipment abbreviations →
More gastroenterology abbreviations
- AIH – Autoimmune hepatitis
- ALD – Alcohol-associated liver disease
- ALF – Acute liver failure
- AP – Acute pancreatitis
- BE – Barrett's esophagus
- BRBPR – Bright red blood per rectum
- CD – Crohn's disease
- CHS – Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
See all 85 gastroenterology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.