coronary care unit
- noun
- /ˈkɔrəˌnɛri kɛr ˈjunɪt/
- Specialized
- The coronary care unit is equipped with advanced technology to monitor patients with serious heart conditions.
- admitted to the coronary care unit
Examples
-
After suffering a heart attack, he was quickly transferred to the coronary care unit for specialized treatment.
-
Dr. Sally Zingale is next door making rounds in the coronary care unit, and she comes right over.
Fiction book (1994) -
Their model recapitulated the passage of a CHD patient through the health care system, including emergency medical services, coronary care units, and surgical and medical treatment.
Academic text (2013) -
CORONARY CARE UNIT WAITING ROOM - NIGHT
Fiction book (2000) -
The onset of decline in the 1960s had coincided with vigorous efforts to educate Americans about smoking, diet, and other CHD risk factors, along with changes in medical care, including aggressive control of hypertension and coronary care units.
Academic text (2013) -
MUSIC OUT: INT. CORONARY CARE UNIT PRE-OP - NIGHT. Wills sits down next to Charlotte's bed.
Fiction book (2000) -
During her stay in the coronary care unit, doctors closely observed her recovery after surgery for heart complications.
Synonyms
A hospital area where very sick people get constant medical care
A hospital unit where very ill people get constant monitoring and treatment
A hospital area where very sick patients get constant care and monitoring
How Intensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'coronary' (relating to the heart), plus 'care' (treatment) and 'unit' (department) yields a department providing treatment for coronary/heart problems. This follows standard medical noun-composition patterns and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Coronary care unit combines coronary, which means about the heart, and care unit, a special hospital ward. It creates a picture of a small ward where staff and machines watch the heart closely, so it means 'a hospital place for serious heart problems'.