LA
Abbreviation with 9 meanings
| Stands for | Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 9 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Transportation & Travel, Medical, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | La |
LA has nine meanings. The most common are Los Angeles (city and neighborhood) and Louisiana (US state); it can also stand for LATAM Airlines, Left atrium, Local anesthesia (local anesthetic), Long-acting and Lupus anticoagulant, plus 2 more listed below.
Meanings of LA at a glance
| # | LA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | Geography & Places › City and Neighborhood |
| 2 | Louisiana | Geography & Places › US State |
| 3 | LATAM Airlines | Transportation & Travel › Airline Code |
| 4 | Left atrium | Medical › Cardiology |
| 5 | Local anesthesia (local anesthetic) | Medical › Anesthesia |
| 6 | Long-acting | Medical › Pharmacy |
| 7 | Lupus anticoagulant | Medical › Hematology and Oncology |
| 8 | Laos | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 9 | Lanthanum | Science & Engineering › Chemical Element |
1. Los Angeles
Geography & Places · City and Neighborhood Abbreviations
Second-largest US city, with about 3.9 million residents, at the center of Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the nation at about 10 million. Founded in 1781 as a Spanish pueblo, it is the capital of the film and television industry.
Example: We drove from San Diego to LA in two hours, then spent another hour on the 405.
Newspapers often write L.A. with periods; casual writing uses LA. In postal addresses LA means Louisiana, so a city name is needed on mail. Locals refer to freeways with the definite article, as in the 10 or the 101.
2. Louisiana
Geography & Places · US State Abbreviations
Acquired in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and admitted on April 30, 1812, as the 18th state. Baton Rouge is the capital and New Orleans the best-known city; Louisiana is divided into parishes rather than counties and is the only state whose private law follows the civil-law tradition of France and Spain.
Example: Mardi Gras parade permits for New Orleans, LA must be filed months in advance.
Louisiana's AP and traditional abbreviation is La., and LA was adopted in 1963. In conversation LA usually means Los Angeles, so writers spell out Louisiana when no city is named; a ZIP code beginning 70 or 71 confirms the state. LA is also the ISO code for Laos, whose .la domain has been marketed to Los Angeles businesses.
3. LATAM Airlines
Transportation & Travel · Airline Code Abbreviations
South America's largest airline group, headquartered in Santiago, Chile, with major operations in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. It was formed in 2012 by the merger of Chile's LAN and Brazil's TAM.
Example: LATAM LA 533 from JFK to Santiago is a 787 overnight flight.
ICAO code LAN for the Chilean airline. LATAM left oneworld in 2020 after Delta bought a 20 percent stake, and the two now operate a joint venture. Affiliates use different codes, such as JJ for LATAM Brasil. The letters LA also commonly mean Los Angeles.
4. Left atrium
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Upper chamber on the left side of the heart that receives oxygenated blood from the four pulmonary veins and passes it through the mitral valve to the left ventricle. Its size reflects long-term filling pressures and predicts atrial fibrillation and stroke.
Example: LA moderately dilated at 48 mL/m2, consistent with long-standing diastolic dysfunction.
The left atrial appendage, a pouch off the LA, is where most clots form in atrial fibrillation. Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation takes place inside the left atrium, reached by a puncture across the atrial septum. In hematology LA means lupus anticoagulant, and in geography Los Angeles or Louisiana.
5. Local anesthesia (local anesthetic)
Medical · Anesthesia Abbreviations
Numbing of a small area by injecting or applying a sodium channel-blocking drug such as lidocaine or bupivacaine, or the drug itself. Many minor procedures, from stitches to skin excisions and dental work, are done under LA with the patient awake.
Example: Excision under LA: 5 mL 1% lidocaine with epinephrine.
Maximum doses are calculated by weight; for lidocaine, commonly cited limits are about 4.5 mg/kg plain and 7 mg/kg with epinephrine. Epinephrine prolongs the effect and reduces bleeding, and evidence now supports its use even in fingers. In cardiology LA means left atrium, and on drug labels long-acting.
6. Long-acting
Medical · Pharmacy Abbreviations
Suffix on products designed to last longer than the standard form, as in Inderal LA, Ritalin LA, Cardizem LA and penicillin G benzathine (Bicillin L-A). It is broadly similar to extended release but chosen by each manufacturer.
Example: Propranolol LA 80 mg PO daily for migraine prevention.
Because LA is not a standardized term, Cardizem LA and Cardizem CD are not interchangeable even though both are once-daily diltiazem. In anesthesia LA usually means local anesthetic, and in cardiology left atrium, so context decides the meaning.
7. Lupus anticoagulant
Medical · Hematology and Oncology Abbreviations
Antiphospholipid antibody that paradoxically prolongs clotting tests in the laboratory while increasing the risk of blood clots and pregnancy loss in the body. It is one of the three laboratory criteria for antiphospholipid syndrome.
Example: LA positive by dRVVT on two occasions 12 weeks apart with prior DVT: antiphospholipid syndrome.
The name is a double misnomer: most people with LA do not have lupus, and it promotes rather than prevents clotting. Testing uses sensitive clotting assays such as the dilute Russell viper venom time and an LA-sensitive PTT, ideally before starting anticoagulants, which interfere with results. Patients positive for LA, anticardiolipin and anti-beta-2 glycoprotein I antibodies ("triple positive") are at highest risk.
8. Laos
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, with Vientiane as its capital and LAO as its alpha-3 code. The .la domain has been marketed to Los Angeles businesses.
Example: A Chinese-built railway now links Vientiane in LA to Kunming.
To an American, LA is Louisiana on an envelope and Los Angeles in speech. Laos is among the most heavily bombed countries per capita, from US air campaigns during the Vietnam War.
9. Lanthanum (La)
Science & Engineering · Chemical Element Abbreviations
First of the lanthanide series, lanthanum (atomic number 57) lends its name to the 15 elements from La to lutetium that fill the 4f electron shell. It is a major component of the nickel-metal hydride batteries in many hybrid cars, of high-refractive-index camera lens glass, and of catalysts used to crack crude oil.
Example: Hybrid battery packs use a metal-hydride electrode alloy rich in La and cerium.
Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered lanthanum in 1839 as an impurity in cerium nitrate and named it from Greek lanthanein (to lie hidden). Chemists have long debated whether lanthanum or lutetium belongs in group 3 of the periodic table, directly below yttrium. Lanthanum carbonate is prescribed to control phosphate levels in patients with kidney failure.
Related abbreviations
More city and neighborhood abbreviations
- KC – Kansas City
- KCK – Kansas City, Kansas
- KCMO – Kansas City, Missouri
- KL – Kuala Lumpur
- LDN – London
- LES – Lower East Side
- LI – Long Island
- LIC – Long Island City
See all 59 city and neighborhood abbreviations →
More US state abbreviations
- IL – Illinois
- IN – Indiana
- KS – Kansas
- KY – Kentucky
- MA – Massachusetts
- MD – Maryland
- ME – Maine
- MI – Michigan
See all 51 US state abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.