intensive care

noun

Definition of intensive care

1 : the continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services Many of the sickest patients need intensive care, even to the point of being connected to a mechanical respirator.— Lawrence K. Altman

2 : a designated area in a hospital providing intensive care : intensive care unit heart patients in intensive care … short of breath and feverish, doctors isolated him in intensive care.— Elisabeth Rosenthal —often hyphenated when used before another noun an intensive-care nurse

Examples of intensive care in a Sentence

Her condition will require intensive care.

Recent Examples on the Web The number of coronavirus-positive patients in L.A. County’s intensive care units has not yet seen a sustained downward trend, though the figure remains low overall. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022 The number of covid-19 patients in Arkansas hospitals' intensive care units reached a four-month high Thursday then fell by four to 84. — Olivia Alexander, Arkansas Online, 31 July 2022 People who carried more influenza zombie genomes avoided intensive care units, while those who carried fewer zombie genomes suffered from more severe disease, sometimes ending up in the hospital and dying. — John Yin, Scientific American, 29 July 2022 Hospital space remains in short supply, however, with only 8% of intensive care units available for patients statewide and 7% of regular hospital beds available. — oregonlive, 27 July 2022 The multidistrict lawsuit only addresses premature baby formula, which is generally used in neonatal intensive care units, an expert told USA TODAY. — Ana Faguy, USA TODAY, 15 July 2022 The alert encourages doctors to test for the virus and to keep infants hospitalized with infections together to avoid spreading the disease to nurseries or neonatal intensive care units. — Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 15 July 2022 The biggest jump was in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, bacteria that cause pneumonia and wound, bloodstream, and urinary tract infections, often among patients in intensive care units. — BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2022 Many of the sickest patients spent weeks or months in intensive care units, increasing the chances for drug-resistant bugs to enter their bodies through intravenous lines, catheters and ventilator tubes. — New York Times, 13 July 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intensive care.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 Aug 2022

Cite this Entry

“Intensive care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intensive%20care. Accessed 18 Aug. 2022.

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More Definitions for intensive care

intensive care

noun

Kids Definition of intensive care

: constant observation and treatment of very ill patients in a special unit of a hospital

intensive care

noun

Medical Definition of intensive care

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services She required intensive care and survived without sequelae. — The Journal of the American Medical Association

2 : a designated area in a hospital providing intensive care : intensive care unit heart patients in intensive care a patient isolated in intensive care He spent several days in intensive care before recovering from the overdose.— Jerome Groopman

intensive care

adjective

variants: also intensive-care

Medical Definition of intensive care (Entry 2 of 2)

: providing or concerned with continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services intensive care medicine an intensive-care nurse also : receiving medical care in an intensive care unit intensive care patients — compare acute care, chronic care