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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Emergency Assessment (ABC)

Deteriorate

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/dɪˈtɪriəreɪt/verbCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, deteriorate means: To become worse, for example when a patient's breathing, blood pressure or level of consciousness gets worse over time.

In Turkish: kötüleşmek, durumu ağırlaşmak

How it is used

A key word in handovers and escalation: a patient deteriorates, is deteriorating or shows signs of deterioration. Crews may send a 'pre-alert' to the hospital because the patient is deteriorating quickly. The opposite is 'improve'.

Example sentences

  1. He deteriorated on the way in and needed airway support.

  2. Her breathing is deteriorating, can we get the doctor now?

Common collocations

  • deteriorate rapidly
  • deteriorating patient
  • signs of deterioration
  • continue to deteriorate
  • vital signsThe basic measurements that show how the body is coping, usually pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, temperature and level of consciousness.
  • GCSShort for Glasgow Coma Scale: a score from 3 to 15 for level of consciousness, based on how a patient opens their eyes, speaks and moves.
  • handoverThe passing of a patient and the key information about them from one team to another, for example from an ambulance crew to emergency department staff.
  • life-threateningSo serious that it could cause death if it is not treated quickly, such as a blocked airway, heavy bleeding or cardiac arrest.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Emergency Assessment (ABC)

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.