PE
Abbreviation with 14 meanings
| Stands for | Pulmonary embolism |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 14 |
| Categories | Medical, Education & Academia, Business & Finance, Geography & Places, Science & Engineering, Writing & Everyday |
PE has 14 meanings. The most common are Pulmonary embolism (respiratory) and Professional Engineer (professional certification); it can also stand for Private equity, Physical education, Physical examination, Prince Edward Island and Polyethylene, plus 7 more listed below.
Meanings of PE at a glance
| # | PE stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pulmonary embolism | Medical › Respiratory |
| 2 | Professional Engineer | Education & Academia › Professional Certification |
| 3 | Private equity | Business & Finance › Finance |
| 4 | Physical education | Education & Academia › K-12 Education |
| 5 | Physical examination | Medical › Medical Documentation |
| 6 | Prince Edward Island | Geography & Places › Canadian Province and Territory |
| 7 | Polyethylene | Science & Engineering › Chemistry |
| 8 | Potential energy | Science & Engineering › Physics |
| 9 | Premature ejaculation | Medical › Nephrology & Urology |
| 10 | Pressure equalization (tubes) | Medical › Surgical |
| 11 | Prolonged exposure therapy | Medical › Mental Health & Psychiatry |
| 12 | Peru | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 13 | Phenytoin sodium equivalents | Medical › Drug |
| 14 | Printer's error | Writing & Everyday › Proofreading and Correction Mark |
1. Pulmonary embolism
Medical · Respiratory Abbreviations
Blockage of a pulmonary artery, usually by a blood clot that has traveled from the deep veins of the legs or pelvis. Symptoms include sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain on breathing, rapid heart rate, coughing up blood and fainting; large clots can cause sudden death.
Example: Pleuritic chest pain and tachycardia 10 days after hip surgery; CTPA shows bilateral segmental PE, apixaban started.
Testing is guided by clinical scores such as Wells or Geneva, the PERC rule and D-dimer, with CT pulmonary angiography as the usual confirming test. Risk is stratified by blood pressure, right ventricular strain and troponin: high-risk (massive) PE with shock may need thrombolysis or clot removal, often coordinated by a pulmonary embolism response team. Most patients receive at least three months of anticoagulation. In charts PE can also mean physical examination.
2. Professional Engineer
Education & Academia · Professional Certification Abbreviations · also used in science
State license that allows an engineer to offer engineering services to the public and to sign and seal plans, reports and drawings. Licensure usually requires an ABET-accredited degree, passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, about four years of supervised experience and passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.
Example: The bridge drawings must be stamped by a PE licensed in Ohio.
Written P.E. after the name, as in "Ana Ruiz, P.E." Exams are developed by NCEES and offered in disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering. Using the title "engineer" commercially without a license is restricted in many states. In schools, PE means physical education, and in medicine it can mean pulmonary embolism.
3. Private equity
Business & Finance · Finance Abbreviations
Asset class and industry in which funds raise capital from institutional investors and wealthy individuals to buy stakes in private companies, or to take public companies private, aiming to increase their value and sell within several years. Buyouts financed with debt are the largest segment.
Example: The PE firm plans to merge three regional dental chains and sell the combined group in about five years.
Major PE firms include Blackstone, KKR, Apollo and Carlyle. Funds are usually structured as limited partnerships with a roughly ten-year life, in which the PE firm acts as general partner. Not to be confused with the P/E (price-to-earnings) ratio, which is sometimes written "PE ratio."
4. Physical education
Education & Academia · K-12 Education Abbreviations
School subject that teaches movement skills, fitness, sports and healthy habits, usually as gym class. SHAPE America recommends 150 minutes of PE per week in elementary school and 225 minutes in middle and high school, though few states require that much.
Example: Wear sneakers on PE days, which are Monday and Thursday this term.
Many states require a minimum number of PE credits for high school graduation, often one to two years. Fitness assessments such as FitnessGram are common. In engineering, PE means Professional Engineer, and in medicine it can mean pulmonary embolism.
5. Physical examination
Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations
Section of a note recording the examiner's findings by body system, from vital signs and general appearance to specific maneuvers. It contrasts with the subjective history.
Example: PE: afebrile, BP 142/88, lungs with scattered wheezes, abdomen benign.
Some notes use "Exam" or "PE" interchangeably. In respiratory and emergency medicine PE usually means pulmonary embolism, which is far more alarming, so the surrounding words matter. Templates often pre-fill normal findings that must be edited for each patient.
6. Prince Edward Island
Geography & Places · Canadian Province and Territory Abbreviations
Smallest province by both area and population, joined to the mainland since 1997 by the 12.9-kilometre Confederation Bridge. Charlottetown is the capital and is called the Birthplace of Confederation for hosting the 1864 conference, although the island did not join Canada until 1873.
Example: Potato shipments from PE are inspected before crossing the bridge to New Brunswick.
PEI or P.E.I. is far more common than PE in writing and speech; PE is used mainly in postal addresses, where postal codes begin with C. PE is also Peru's ISO country code and an abbreviation for physical education.
7. Polyethylene
Science & Engineering · Chemistry Abbreviations
The most produced plastic in the world, a chain of repeating ethylene units used for shopping bags, packaging films, bottles, pipes and toys. Grades range from flexible low-density PE to rigid high-density PE and ultra-high-molecular-weight PE used in joint replacements and protective armor.
Example: The parts ship in 50-micron PE bags inside a corrugated box.
Also called polyethene, or polythene in Britain. Reginald Gibson and Eric Fawcett at ICI made the first practical polyethylene in 1933. Recycling codes 2 (HDPE) and 4 (LDPE) both denote polyethylene. Elsewhere PE means physical education, a price-to-earnings ratio or a licensed Professional Engineer.
8. Potential energy
Science & Engineering · Physics Abbreviations
Energy stored in an object because of its position or configuration, such as a raised weight, a stretched spring or a charged battery. Gravitational PE near Earth's surface equals mass times gravitational acceleration times height.
Example: At the top of the drop the roller coaster's PE is greatest and its kinetic energy smallest.
Scottish engineer William Rankine coined the term "potential energy" in 1853. Conservation of energy means that, without friction, the sum of KE and PE stays constant, as in a swinging pendulum. Elsewhere PE can mean physical education, polyethylene or a licensed Professional Engineer.
9. Premature ejaculation
Medical · Nephrology & Urology Abbreviations
Ejaculation that occurs sooner than desired, consistently and with distress, among the most common male sexual complaints. Lifelong PE is defined by the International Society for Sexual Medicine as ejaculation within about one minute of penetration from the first sexual experiences.
Example: Lifelong PE causing relationship distress; discuss behavioral techniques and daily low-dose SSRI.
The ISSM definition distinguishes lifelong PE from acquired PE, which develops later, often alongside erectile dysfunction or anxiety. Topical anesthetics and off-label SSRIs are commonly used in the US, while dapoxetine is approved in some other countries. In most medical notes PE means pulmonary embolism or physical exam.
10. Pressure equalization (tubes)
Medical · Surgical Abbreviations
Small tubes inserted through the eardrum to ventilate the middle ear and equalize pressure, commonly called PE tubes or ear tubes. They prevent fluid buildup and reduce recurrent ear infections in children.
Example: Left PE tube extruded; right tube patent and in place.
Also called tympanostomy tubes, or grommets in British English. Children with tubes who develop ear drainage are usually treated with antibiotic ear drops rather than oral antibiotics. Routine water precautions are no longer recommended for most children with tubes. Elsewhere in medicine PE usually means pulmonary embolism or physical examination.
11. Prolonged exposure therapy
Medical · Mental Health & Psychiatry Abbreviations
Trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD that helps patients gradually approach trauma memories and avoided situations through repeated imaginal retelling and real-life (in vivo) exposure, so that fear and avoidance decrease. Courses typically last 8–15 sessions.
Example: PE session 5: imaginal exposure to assault memory recorded for daily listening.
Developed by psychologist Edna Foa, PE is a first-line PTSD treatment in US Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense guidelines. Despite fears, patients typically experience decreasing distress across sessions. In general medical notes PE usually means physical examination or pulmonary embolism, so mental health records spell out "prolonged exposure".
12. Peru
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Peru, capital Lima, alpha-3 PER, contains Machu Picchu and the source of the Amazon River. The sol trades as PEN.
Example: Prices on the Peruvian store are shown in soles once the country is set to PE.
In Canada PE means Prince Edward Island, and in schools PE means physical education. Peru was the center of the Inca Empire.
13. Phenytoin sodium equivalents
Medical · Drug Abbreviations
Unit used to dose fosphenytoin, a prodrug of phenytoin: 1.5 mg of fosphenytoin is equivalent to 1 mg of phenytoin sodium and is labeled as 1 mg PE. Doses and infusion rates are always expressed in PE.
Example: Fosphenytoin 20 mg PE/kg IV at max 150 mg PE/min for status epilepticus.
Mix-ups between milligrams of fosphenytoin and milligrams PE have caused overdoses, especially in children, and the FDA revised labeling to emphasize PE dosing. Fosphenytoin can be infused faster and causes less tissue injury than phenytoin, but cardiac monitoring is still required. PE has many other medical meanings, notably pulmonary embolism.
14. Printer's error
Writing & Everyday · Proofreading and Correction Mark Abbreviations
Marks a mistake introduced by the typesetter or printer on a proof, as opposed to a change requested by the author. Correcting PEs is the typesetter's responsibility and cost.
Example: The proofreader circled the missing line and labeled it PE, since the manuscript had it right.
Distinguishing PEs from author's alterations determined who paid for corrections, a significant cost in the era of hot-metal type. Digital workflows have made the distinction less important financially, but it survives in some publishers' proofreading instructions. In schools PE means physical education, and in finance private equity.
Related abbreviations
More respiratory abbreviations
- OSA – Obstructive sleep apnea
- P/F – PaO2/FiO2 ratio
- PAH – Pulmonary arterial hypertension
- PAP – Positive airway pressure
- PEEP – Positive end-expiratory pressure
- PEF – Peak expiratory flow
- PEFR – Peak expiratory flow rate
- PF – Pulmonary fibrosis
See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →
More professional certification abbreviations
- OCP – Oracle Certified Professional
- OSCP – Offensive Security Certified Professional
- OSHA 30 – OSHA 30-Hour Outreach Training
- PDU – Professional development unit
- PenTest+ – CompTIA PenTest+
- PgMP – Program Management Professional
- PHR – Professional in Human Resources
- PLS – Professional Land Surveyor
See all 134 professional certification abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.