A.R.S.E.

By Alastair Alexander

Taking the prize for the most tortured and, quite frankly, ridiculous acronym is ARSE, standing for the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation risk stratification criteria for clinical events.

In short, this is a method of calculating how likely you are to be poorly. ARSE is also the acronym for an enzyme, Arylsulfatase E, but as it's part of a series beginning with Arylsulfatase A (ARSA) it's of little help to us.

Staying with the risk criteria leads to some glorious lines in clinical studies about patients being categorised by ARSE groups. How they must laugh in the cardiac recovery wards. Well, the ones who use English spellings, anyway.

More ARSE information: journal

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