Intensive Care Unit (Icu) Terminology

noun a sudden, sometimes fatal, stoppage of the heartbeat

• The patient went into cardiac arrest during surgery.
• I heard that John's uncle had a cardiac arrest last night.
• Did you hear about that guy who had a heart attack? It was like a cardiac arrest or something.
• When the power went out, it was like a cardiac arrest for the whole building's electrical system.

noun a flexible tube inserted into a body cavity to remove fluid or to allow access for surgical instruments

• The doctor inserted a catheter to drain the patient's bladder.
• They had to put in a catheter to help with the bathroom situation.
• They had to stick a catheter in to help with the pee situation.
• The new software acted as a catheter, streamlining the data flow process.

noun a machine that helps a person breathe by moving air in and out of the lungs

• The patient was put on a ventilator to assist with breathing.
• They had to hook him up to a ventilator in the hospital.
• I heard they had to stick a tube down his throat and put him on a vent.
• She felt like she was suffocating in the meeting, like she needed a mental ventilator.

noun a medical term referring to difficult or labored breathing

• The patient presented with dyspnea, indicating difficulty breathing.
• She was struggling to catch her breath, experiencing dyspnea.
• I was so out of breath, I thought I was gonna pass out from dyspnea.
• The weight of the world on his shoulders felt like a heavy dyspnea, making it hard to breathe.

noun a medical condition characterized by the stopping of breathing for short periods during sleep

• The patient was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea.
• My uncle snores loudly due to his sleep apnoea.
• I can't fall asleep because of my apnoea acting up.
• The sudden silence in the room was like an apnoea in the conversation.