US Medical Term · emergency
Intensive Care Unit
Unidad de cuidados intensivos
What it means
An intensive care unit (ICU) is where critical care, the medical care for people who have life-threatening injuries and illnesses, usually takes place. The Spanish dictionary defines the matching Spanish term as a hospital section where equipment and specialized staff are concentrated for the monitoring and treatment of very seriously ill patients. MedlinePlus says a team of specially-trained health care providers gives 24-hour care, which includes using machines to constantly monitor vital signs. Equipment used in a critical care unit includes catheters, feeding tubes, intravenous (IV) tubes, oxygen therapy, and ventilators (breathing machines). Sometimes people in a critical care unit are not able to communicate, and MedlinePlus says it is important to have an advance directive in place.
Intensive Care Unit in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Unidad de cuidados intensivos
- Gender and article
- feminine: la unidad de cuidados intensivos
- Pronunciation
- oo-nee-DAHD deh KWEE-dah-dohs een-ten-SEE-bohs
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UCI | General | Abbreviation used by MedlinePlus en español; the Spanish dictionary enters uci as an acronym meaning unidad de cuidados intensivos. |
| unidad de vigilancia intensiva | General | The Spanish dictionary enters this name under unidad and defines it as unidad de cuidados intensivos. |
| UVI | General | The Spanish dictionary enters uvi as an acronym meaning unidad de vigilancia intensiva. |
Unidad de cuidados intensivos is the term MedlinePlus en español uses, abbreviated UCI, and the Spanish dictionary enters it under unidad as a feminine noun: la unidad. The dictionary also enters uci as an acronym and a feminine noun. A second name in the dictionary is unidad de vigilancia intensiva, with the acronym uvi, defined simply as unidad de cuidados intensivos.
The care given there has its own names. MedlinePlus en español titles its page Terapia intensiva, says this is also called atención crítica, and lists cuidado crítico and cuidado intensivo as other names; the English page is titled Critical Care and lists ICU and intensive care under "Also called." Equipment words on the Spanish page include signos vitales (vital signs), sondas de alimentación (feeding tubes), ventiladores (ventilators, glossed there as máquinas de respiración) and directivas médicas por adelantado (advance directives). The page's link list also names la unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales (UCIN) (neonatal intensive care unit).
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | They told me that my father was moved to the intensive care unit. | Me dijeron que trasladaron a mi padre a la unidad de cuidados intensivos. |
| Clinician | Yes, he is in the ICU so that we can monitor his vital signs constantly. | Sí, está en la UCI para que podamos vigilar sus signos vitales en forma constante. |
| Patient | Can I go in to see him? What are the visiting hours? | ¿Puedo entrar a verlo? ¿Cuál es el horario de visitas? |
| Clinician | You can come in now. Please wash your hands before you go in. | Puede pasar ahora. Por favor, lávese las manos antes de entrar. |
| Patient | What is that machine connected to his mouth? | ¿Qué es esa máquina que tiene conectada a la boca? |
| Clinician | It is a ventilator, a machine that helps him breathe. | Es un ventilador, una máquina que lo ayuda a respirar. |
| Clinician | Does your father have an advance directive? | ¿Su padre tiene directivas médicas por adelantado? |
| Patient | Who can I call during the night to ask how he is doing? | ¿A quién puedo llamar durante la noche para preguntar cómo sigue? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Intensive Care Unit |
| Spanish (Español) | Unidad de cuidados intensivos |
| Chinese (中文) | 重症監護室 |
| Korean (한국어) | 중환자실 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Đơn vị chăm sóc đặc biệt |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Intensive Care Unit |
| Portuguese (Português) | Unidade de terapia intensiva |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | หอผู้ป่วยวิกฤต |
| Japanese (日本語) | 集中治療室 |
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: General care: tests, procedures and medicines
All terms in this area: General care: tests, procedures and medicines — Atención general: pruebas, procedimientos y medicamentos
Sources
- Critical Care — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Terapia intensiva — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- unidad — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- uci — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- uvi — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026