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Medicine vocabulary · Treatments and Procedures

Stable

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈsteɪbəl/adjectiveCore term

In medicine, stable means: Not changing or getting worse, especially when the vital signs and general condition stay within a safe range.

In Turkish: stabil, durağan

How it is used

Used in handovers, notes and updates to families: 'She's stable', 'hemodynamically stable', 'stable on the ward'. The opposite is unstable; the verb stabilize means to make a patient stable.

Example sentences

  1. He's been stable overnight, so we can move him to the ward.

  2. Once the patient is stable, arrange a CT scan.

Common collocations

  • clinically stable
  • hemodynamically stable
  • stable condition
  • remain stable
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements checked to see how ill a patient is: temperature, pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure, and often oxygen level.
  • conditionAn illness or health problem, especially a long-term one; also the general state of a patient's health at a particular time.
  • intensive care unitA hospital unit with special equipment and highly trained staff for critically ill patients who need close monitoring or organ support, such as a ventilator.
  • handoverThe passing of information and responsibility for patients from one doctor or team to the next, usually when a shift changes.

More terms: Treatments and Procedures

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