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

2

: 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 noun

critical-care nursing

a critical-care bed

see also critical care unit

Examples of critical care in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Connected medical devices and systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks, which could reveal sensitive data, delay critical care, and physically harm patients. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Feb. 2025

Physician joins Franciscan in Michigan City Dr. Joy Williams, a pulmonologist and critical care physician, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Michigan City, according to a release. —Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025

Novant Health expanded services at its hospital in Matthews with the opening of a $170-million, four-story tower for critical care. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 28 Jan. 2025

William then moved to tune into two summit sessions about trauma critical care and techniques used during Search and Rescue helicopter missions. —Janine Henni, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

critical care

noun

: intensive care