Why does everyone pronounce "troponin" incorrectly in clinical settings?

[Gurby]

Why does everyone say "trip-OH-nin"? Shouldn't it be "TROPE-oh-nin"? Am I missing something here?

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[Durty-Trixxx]

Why does everyone say "trip-OH-nin"? Shouldn't it be "TROPE-oh-nin"? Am I missing something here?

I think it's mostly because of whatever regional accent a person grows up with --- such as the typical Philly person who pronounces water as "WOODER" or a Pittsburgh person saying "WARSH" my clothes

My biggest pet peeve is basic science faculty in med school saying "SAUNA-meter" for centimeter --- God, that was like fingernails on chalkboard for me!

 

[Microshaft]

I've only ever heard it being correctly pronounced

maybe your hospital is just too hipster lol

 

[Raryn]

Anything is better than sontimeter.

 

[libertyyne]

Anything is better than sontimeter.

WTF is that even?

The first time I heard that I thought it was something new.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

I call it troponín.

Tro-po-NEEN.

 

[Crayola227]

Why does everyone say "trip-OH-nin"? Shouldn't it be "TROPE-oh-nin"? Am I missing something here?

Sounds like it's in the realm of potato/potato, y'now?

It's not on the level of FEEB-rile vs feb-rile which is just wrong wrong wrong

Studying dialects is a big hobby of mine.

Where the emphasis is placed on a word can make a big difference to the ears, as well as vowel shifts.

If almost everyone is doing it, I can almost guarantee it's a regional thing and not a mispronunciation.

I can send you links if you're interested in dialects. I've been learning various British ones for fun.

 

[LebronManning]

It's not on the level of FEEB-rile vs feb-rile which is just wrong wrong wrong

It's feb-rile right? lol

 

[dpmd]

Definitely if literally everyone with any knowledge in the hospital is saying it one way they must all be saying it wrong. You should absolutely start correcting everyone.

 

[Aerus]

Ever since undergrad all the way to med school, even now among my PhD professors and MD clinicians, I've only ever heard the first pronunciation. I think I've only heard TROPE oh nin like twice.

 

[dpmd]

Ever since undergrad all the way to med school, even now among my PhD professors and MD clinicians, I've only ever heard the first pronunciation. I think I've only heard TROPE oh nin like twice.

Were they something other than american? I can imagine someone british or something saying it like that.

 

[libertyyne]

Ever since undergrad all the way to med school, even now among my PhD professors and MD clinicians, I've only ever heard the first pronunciation. I think I've only heard TROPE oh nin like twice.

midwest?

 

[DO2015CA]

Why can’t it be tro-po-nin. To-mA-to. To-mah-to

 

[Aerus]

Were they something other than american? I can imagine someone british or something saying it like that.

midwest?

A mixed bunch of nationalities, but definitely some Americans too. Also, this is in California.

 

[Stagg737]

Eh, I've heard them both throughout my medical career (going back to high school).

The one that really gets me is um-BILL-i-cus vs. um-bil-LIKE-us. I'd never heard the latter until med school and thought my one professor just pronounced it funny. Then we had a neonatal surgeon from Cali who is apparently a pioneer in the field come speak at our school and he also said "um-bil-LIKE-us" later that week and it was a complete mindf*** to me. I've been questioning medical pronunciation of everything since then...

 

[Raryn]

Eh, I've heard them both throughout my medical career (going back to high school).

The one that really gets me is um-BILL-i-cus vs. um-bil-LIKE-us. I'd never heard the latter until med school and thought my one professor just pronounced it funny. Then we had a neonatal surgeon from Cali who is apparently a pioneer in the field come speak at our school and he also said "um-bil-LIKE-us" later that week and it was a complete mindf*** to me. I've been questioning medical pronunciation of everything since then...

do-oh-deen-um vs do-odd-en-um

 

[Durty-Trixxx]

Were they something other than american? I can imagine someone british or something saying it like that.

I still hear some American attendings say debridement as "de-BRIDE-ment" when most say it as "de-BREED-ment"

 

[Anti-PD1]

We fought the War so we could pronounce it tropOnin. 'Murica.

For fun, America's worst accents ranked. Something is wrong with Pennsylvania:

 

[Stagg737]

do-oh-deen-um vs do-odd-en-um

Those aren't that odd to me because I've heard them both for years. I'd never heard um-bill-LIKE-us before M2 and It still just sounds so wrong every time I hear it...

 

[Lost in Translation]

In the "Midwest" here and I've only ever heard trop-OH-nin.

Those aren't that odd to me because I've heard them both for years. I'd never heard um-bill-LIKE-us before M2 and It still just sounds so wrong every time I hear it...

Um-bil-LIKE-us is the technically correct pronunciation if you're a scholar of Latin, just like do-oh-DEEN-um is the technically correct pronunciation. But no one is going to ding you for saying um-billy-cus or do-WAH-den-um. Or rather, they shouldn't.

 

[NVO]

Everyone in NY who says "OB-GYN" says every letter, but i noticed in the midwest people say OB-Gyn as in "O-B-Guyn"

thought that was interesting

 

[WedgeDawg]

I've only ever heard it said "trope-OH-nin"

 

[BadSanta]

Here in Camden, we say "Trap-ownin'". Then the word has two meanings instead of one.

 

[WingedOx]

Everyone in NY who says "OB-GYN" says every letter, but i noticed in the midwest people say OB-Gyn as in "O-B-Guyn"

thought that was interesting

The hospital I trained at (Chicago) says "OB Gyn-ee" which is just wrong sounding.

 

[dpmd]

Oddly enough I say every letter in OB-gyn, but say guyn-onc for gyn oncology. I have also met folks who use gyn-ee which I agree sounds wrong.

 

[dpmd]

Oh yeah, and there are some who say it as gin. Monsters.

 

[Crayola227]

gyn-ee?

I can't even hear that in my head wtf

 

[WingedOx]

gyn-ee?

I can't even hear that in my head wtf

Yeah, it makes the whole specialty sound icky.

 

[PrettyLadyDoc24]

Why does everyone say "trip-OH-nin"? Shouldn't it be "TROPE-oh-nin"? Am I missing something here?

I've never heard the latter, that's interesting! The variations I've heard for other parts have been Commonwealth countries (UK, Canada) versus the US.

CERV-ical verses cer-VI-cal.
SKEL-etal versus skel-EE-tal.
CAP-ill-aries versus cap-PILL-eries.
I think the Brits also spell "fetus" and "esophagus" with extra O's (foetus, oesophagus).

 

[Gurby]

Definitely if literally everyone with any knowledge in the hospital is saying it one way they must all be saying it wrong. You should absolutely start correcting everyone.

We had a lecture recently where the professor was reviewing the mechanism of the "TRO-poh-nin" complex with us, and then in the next sentence explained how elevated "trip-OH-nin" levels can be a marker of myocardial damage. I shed a tear. Next time I will be sure to raise my hand and let him know that he's wrong.

 

[mehc012]

I've never heard the latter, that's interesting! The variations I've heard for other parts have been Commonwealth countries (UK, Canada) versus the US.

CERV-ical verses cer-VI-cal.
SKEL-etal versus skel-EE-tal.
CAP-ill-aries versus cap-PILL-eries.
I think the Brits also spell "fetus" and "esophagus" with extra O's (foetus, oesophagus).

Oh god, cap-PILL-eries is the one that gets me. I cannot deal with it.

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

“sontimeter” just kills me every time. my partner knew how much it pissed me off, so he started dictating his op notes using that word any time I’m around... I throw something at him every time he does it
In Ortho, we also have pilon, pronounced “pee-lawn” (the French way) and “pie-lawn” (for those who don’t want to sound pretentious)


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[mehc012]

“sontimeter” just kills me every time. my partner knew how much it pissed me off, so he started dictating his op notes using that word any time I’m around... I throw something at him every time he does it
In Ortho, we also have pilon, pronounced “pee-lawn” (the French way) and “pie-lawn” (for those who don’t want to sound pretentious)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

My med school got sick of being corrected on minor nuances of pronunciation on "Poiseuille's" (we were close), so a large number of us just started intentionally saying "poise-Willy's" so that the francophiles would leave us alone.

 

[DrYoda]

This would be new to me. Probably depends on which cesspool of the world you live in.

 

[Psai]

Ratio of douchebag to sontimeter is very high

I got used to um-bi-lye-kus and du-oh-de-num because I'm surrounded by surgeons all the time

But if you say sontimeter you need to start using freedom units

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

Why does it matter? Worry about bigger issues

 

[treebeardette]

gyn-ee?

I can't even hear that in my head wtf

Usually I've heard this used in a derogatory way by general surgeons. Never heard an OB-Gyn refer to themselves that way.

 

[MediCane2006]

Sontimeter makes my toes curl up...in a bad way.

I have a partner who pronounces inflammation of the apocrine sweat glands as "HIDradenitis (short I) whereas I've only ever heard/pronounced it HIDE-radenitis.

 

[SpartanDOnoharm]

I can handle most things, except when someone calls Phenergan the dreaded Phenergrin.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Where are you getting that extra e from?

HI-dradenitis is how I pronounce it.

 

[Tenk]

Get with the cool kids and call it a trop.

 

[Raryn]

Get with the cool kids and call it a trop.

trop like hope OR trop like crop?

 

[mehc012]

trop like hope OR trop like crop?

Trop like banana.

 

[Tenk]

trop like hope OR trop like crop?

If you were cool you’d know.

 

[TheIllusionist]

As long as it's mutually intelligible, who the **** even cares...

 

[Oso]

Why does everyone say "trip-OH-nin"? Shouldn't it be "TROPE-oh-nin"? Am I missing something here?

This is why I just play it safe and never order troponins.

Or any other labs with multiple potential pronounciations.

Gotta keep looking smart, yo.

 

[moggat]

Had a cardiology professor who pronounced aldosterone like "al-do-ster-OWN", like Stallone. Sounded like a NJ mobster was part of the RAAS pathway. But when you're the head of cards, I guess you pretty much have license to pick your own pronunciations.

 

[SpartanDOnoharm]

Had a cardiology professor who pronounced aldosterone like "al-do-ster-OWN", like Stallone. Sounded like a NJ mobster was part of the RAAS pathway. But when you're the head of cards, I guess you pretty much have license to pick your own pronunciations.

That's how everyone pronounces it at the hospital I work at...how do you pronounce it?

 

[mehc012]

That's how everyone pronounces it at the hospital I work at...how do you pronounce it?

I've occasionally heard "aldo-STEER-own", but almost always I hear it "al-DAWS-ter-own", with the emphasis on the second syllable. Not sure what the last poster was going for.

 

[ThreeCheers]

Everyone in NY who says "OB-GYN" says every letter, but i noticed in the midwest people say OB-Gyn as in "O-B-Guyn"

thought that was interesting

I haven’t noticed any regional trends, but nothing is worse than the select few white-haired department heads that insist on saying “OB-jinn”.