Quick Facts
- Also called:
- critical care unit
- Related Topics:
- neonatal intensive care unit
- progressive care
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intensive care unit
An intensive care unit.
intensive care unit
medicine
Also known as: ICU, critical care unit
News •
Brain-computer interface enables unresponsive ICU patients to control sounds
• Oct. 23, 2026, 1:16 AM ET (News-Medical)
intensive care unit, hospital facility for care of critically ill patients at a more intensive level than is needed by other patients. Staffed by specialized personnel, the intensive care unit contains a complex assortment of monitors and life-support equipment that can sustain life in once-fatal situations, including adult respiratory distress syndrome, kidney failure, multiple organ failure, and sepsis (see septicemia).
This article was most recently revised and updated by Robert Lewis.



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