Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Hospital Departments and Staff

Intensive care unit

Meaning in medicine, with examples

nounCore term

In medicine, intensive care unit means: A hospital unit with special equipment and highly trained staff for critically ill patients who need close monitoring or organ support, such as a ventilator.

In Turkish: yoğun bakım ünitesi, yoğun bakım

How it is used

Usually called ICU; British hospitals may say ITU (intensive therapy unit) or 'critical care'. Patients are admitted to, transferred to or stepped down from the intensive care unit.

Example sentences

  1. He was moved to the intensive care unit when his oxygen levels kept falling.

  2. Let's ask the intensive care unit team to review her before she deteriorates further.

Common collocations

  • admit to the intensive care unit
  • ICU bed
  • intensive care unit team
  • step down from ICU
  • emergency departmentThe hospital department, open 24 hours a day, that treats people with sudden illness or injury who need urgent care.
  • sepsisA life-threatening reaction to an infection in which the body's response starts to damage its own organs.
  • stableNot changing or getting worse, especially when the vital signs and general condition stay within a safe range.
  • oxygen saturationThe percentage of hemoglobin in the blood that is carrying oxygen, usually measured with a clip on the finger; in healthy adults it is usually 95% or higher.
  • wardA part of a hospital with beds where patients stay overnight or longer, usually for one specialty, such as a surgical or children's ward.

More terms: Hospital Departments and Staff

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