neonatal intensive care unit
2
4.7
- noun
- /ˈniːoʊˌneɪtəl ɪnˈtɛnsɪv kɛr juːnɪt/
- Specialized
:
unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales
- After a long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, the baby was finally healthy enough to go home.
- infants in a neonatal intensive care unit
Have you ever been in the neonatal intensive care unit or the pediatric intensive care unit because of a genetic problem?
- Have you ever been in the neonatal intensive care unit or the pediatric intensive care unit because of a genetic problem?
Examples
-
After delivery, Gabriel spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit, where nurses kept an eye on his breathing and blood sugar.
Blog text (27) -
A couple of years ago, one of our teams was working in an active hospital adjacent to a neonatal intensive care unit.
Blog text (9) -
Albert's mother remembers when he was discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit.
Academic text (1996) -
As one mother stated, "The nurse encouraged me to visit the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital, and this helped me to prepare for what my babies would look like."
Academic text (2010) -
Many facilities prefer to initiate treatment in the newborn nursery or neonatal intensive care unit within the first 24 to 28 hours of delivery.
Academic text (2005) -
Born with high bilirubin, David had been kept in the neonatal intensive care unit, where he was given phototherapy, which required protective blue goggles.
Academic text (1990) -
Five little babies—a set of quintuplets—are clinging to life in a neonatal intensive care unit in Dallas.
Blog text (23) -
Every year, over 400 critically ill newborns are treated in the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital.
-
The neonatal intensive care unit is equipped with advanced technology to monitor premature infants closely.
Synonyms
16
4.1
A hospital ward for very small or very sick newborn babies
How Intensive
- Specialized
2
4.7
73
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
neonatal + intensive + care + unit
The meaning 'a hospital section providing intensive medical care to newborn infants' is directly and compositionally derived from 'neonatal' (relating to newborns) + 'intensive' (high-level/urgent) + 'care' (treatment) + 'unit' (section). This follows a clear noun-modifier compounding pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Neonatal intensive care unit comes from the simple image of tiny new babies needing very close help in a special hospital room. Neonatal means 'for new babies' and an intensive care unit is a place for the 'most serious care', so the whole name means a hospital area that gives the closest care to newborns.