critical care
noun
1
: the monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients : intensive care
Critical care involves the use of life-sustaining, high-technology medicine catering to a patient population that extends to both extremes of age. In adult ICUs, the average age is increasing and is now commonly well over 60 years.—
Simon Finfer and Jean-Louis Vincent
Simon Finfer and Jean-Louis Vincent2
: a designated area of a hospital providing critical care : intensive care unit
The death toll rose from six to at least 12, with scores of people needing hospital treatment and some in critical care.—Heather Brooke
—often hyphenated when used before another nounHeather Brookecritical-care nursing
a critical-care bed
see also critical care unit
Examples of critical care in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In reaction to staffing concerns, officials said the unit has been staffed around the clock by critical care physicians.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
After five minutes of submersion, chances of a rescue dim, said Dr. Michael Flaherty, a pediatric critical care physician and director of the Trauma & Injury Prevention Outreach Program at Mass General for Children.
—Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
When Rebecca Brown, a 45-year-old heart patient from Corning, N.Y., was flagged as one of the sickest patients in Mount Sinai’s critical care ward on a May morning, Milekic went to her room to run an examination.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
There are days, said Dr. Jess Mandel, chief of pulmonology, critical care and sleep medicine, when nearly half of the Hillcrest unit’s 13 beds are simultaneously occupied by patients suffering from fentanyl overdose.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2023
The facility provides overnight accommodations, free of charge, to families of children receiving critical care treatment at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
—Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2023
Los Angeles Times Hundreds of patients — including some in critical care — had to be evacuated after a Boyle Heights hospital lost power.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday commended the LAFD and hospital staff for swiftly evacuating the patients in critical care.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 22 Aug. 2023
The commission signaled its commitment to this practice Wednesday, awarding $1.4 million in grants to community health centers providing critical care to vulnerable communities recovering from delays in care brought by the pandemic.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2023
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Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
After five minutes of submersion, chances of a rescue dim, said Dr. Michael Flaherty, a pediatric critical care physician and director of the Trauma & Injury Prevention Outreach Program at Mass General for Children.
—Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
When Rebecca Brown, a 45-year-old heart patient from Corning, N.Y., was flagged as one of the sickest patients in Mount Sinai’s critical care ward on a May morning, Milekic went to her room to run an examination.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
There are days, said Dr. Jess Mandel, chief of pulmonology, critical care and sleep medicine, when nearly half of the Hillcrest unit’s 13 beds are simultaneously occupied by patients suffering from fentanyl overdose.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2023
The facility provides overnight accommodations, free of charge, to families of children receiving critical care treatment at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
—Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2023
Los Angeles Times Hundreds of patients — including some in critical care — had to be evacuated after a Boyle Heights hospital lost power.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday commended the LAFD and hospital staff for swiftly evacuating the patients in critical care.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 22 Aug. 2023
The commission signaled its commitment to this practice Wednesday, awarding $1.4 million in grants to community health centers providing critical care to vulnerable communities recovering from delays in care brought by the pandemic.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'critical care.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near critical care
Cite this Entry
“Critical care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critical%20care. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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