intensive care

American  

noun

1. the use of specialized equipment and personnel for continuous monitoring and care of the critically ill.

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intensive care British  

noun

1. extensive and continuous care and treatment provided for an acutely ill patient, usually in a specially designated section ( intensive care unit ) of a hospital

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Etymology

Origin of intensive care

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intensive care

Emergency responders took the baby to Woodland Memorial Hospital, then to a Sacramento County neonatal intensive care unit, the Sheriff’s Office said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

When he finally woke up, in an intensive care unit in Oklahoma City, about 90 miles northeast of Comanche, he learned that surgeons had removed 13 inches of his small intestine during emergency surgery.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Ceri Ann had an emergency C-section and her daughter, Ania, was taken to neonatal intensive care because she was not breathing.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

At the end of July, he fainted during a court hearing and was treated in intensive care.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

Nurses and aides came running, pushing a gurney along with them, and they lifted Charles Monet onto the gurney and wheeled him into the intensive care unit at Nairobi Hospital.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston