Critical Care Vocabulary

noun a severe form of alcohol withdrawal characterized by confusion, tremors, hallucinations, and seizures

• The patient was admitted to the hospital with severe delirium tremens.
• He was shaking and sweating like crazy from the delirium tremens.
• The guy was going through some serious DTs from all the drinking.
• His mind was in a state of delirium tremens, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

adjective characterized by a harsh snoring or gasping sound

• The patient's breathing was stertorous, indicating a potential respiratory issue.
• I could hear his stertorous breathing from across the room.
• His stertorous snoring kept me up all night.
• The stertorous sound of the wind through the trees was oddly calming.

noun a medical condition characterized by a rapid heart rate

adjective tachycardic - relating to or affected by tachycardia

• The patient presented with symptoms of tachycardia, indicating a rapid heart rate.
• She felt a bit dizzy and her heart was racing due to tachycardia.
• I was so stressed out that I ended up with tachycardia.
• The excitement of the game caused a tachycardia of adrenaline in the fans.

noun Blood is a noun that refers to the red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body.

adjective Hypovolemic shock can be described as a life-threatening condition.

• Hypovolemic shock is a serious medical condition that occurs when there is a significant decrease in blood volume.
• If you lose a lot of blood quickly, you could go into hypovolemic shock.
• Losing that much blood can send you into shock, like hypovolemic shock.
• The sudden loss of support from his friends left him in a state of emotional hypovolemic shock.

adjective describing a condition characterized by an abnormal increase in acidity in the blood and body tissues

• The patient presented with symptoms of acidotic crisis, requiring immediate medical attention.
• She felt really sick and the doctor said it was because she was acidotic.
• I heard that guy ended up in the hospital because he was all acidotic.
• The atmosphere in the room was so tense, it felt almost acidotic in nature.

noun a syndrome affecting the lungs and breathing

• The patient was diagnosed with adult respiratory distress syndrome after experiencing severe lung damage.
• My aunt had to be put on a ventilator because of adult respiratory distress syndrome.
• I heard that ARDS is no joke, it can really mess up your lungs.
• Dealing with all these problems at once felt like I was suffocating from adult respiratory distress syndrome.