Okuzeka
Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · The Emergency Department

Resus

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˈriːsʌs/nounCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, resus means: An informal short form of resuscitation, used especially for the resuscitation room of an emergency department, where the sickest patients are treated.

In Turkish: resüsitasyon odası, kırmızı alan, resüsitasyon

How it is used

Everyday staff talk in UK and Australian EDs: 'take him straight to resus', 'resus bay 2'. It can also mean the act itself: 'a long resus'. In US hospitals similar rooms may be called trauma bays or critical care rooms.

Example sentences

  1. Pre-alert: cardiac arrest, five minutes out, straight into resus.

  2. Resus is full, so we're using the side room.

Common collocations

  • resus room
  • resus bay
  • take to resus
  • resus team
  • resuscitationEmergency treatment to restart or support breathing and circulation in someone who is dying or very unstable, including CPR, shocks, drugs and fluids.
  • emergency departmentThe hospital department that treats people who arrive with a sudden illness or injury, without an appointment, 24 hours a day.
  • crash cartA trolley on wheels that holds the equipment and drugs needed for resuscitation, such as a defibrillator, airway kit and emergency medicines.
  • traumaPhysical injury to the body caused by an outside force, such as a road crash, a fall, an assault or an explosion, especially when it is serious.

More terms: The Emergency Department

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