Working in the Intensive Care Unit (Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos – UCI) demands effective communication, especially for healthcare professionals who work with Spanish-speaking patients. In this blog, we’ll cover key vocabulary across three important areas for ICU professionals learning Spanish: essential ICU medical verbs, key ICU medical devices, and common ICU conditions, specifically in the NICU.
Mastering essential Spanish ICU medical terms can significantly improve patient care, reduce errors, and build trust. So, keep on reading and check out the reels to learn more about essential medical vocabularly for ICU healthcare professionals! Also, make sure to check out this blog we did recently about essential tips for mastering medical Spanish.
Master Spanish ICU Medical Terms: Verbs
Of course, there are dozens of medical Spanish verbs that could be useful if you work in the ICU. Fortunately, we’ve narrowed it down to seven essential verbs that will help you communicate with your patients and their families better in the ICU.
| Medical ICU Verb | Medical ICU Example |
| Intubar (To intubate) | El doctor va a intubar al paciente para ayudarlo a respirar. (The doctor is going to intubate the patient to help them breathe.) |
| Insertar (To insert) | El enfermero va a insertar una sonda nasogástrica para la alimentación. (The nurse is going to insert a nasogastric tube for feeding.) |
| Alimentar (to feed) | Vamos a alimentar al bebé a través de la sonda nasogástrica. (We are going to feed the baby through the nasogastric tube.) |
| Dar(le) (To give someone) | Le voy a dar el medicamento ahora mismo. (I am going to give him/her the medicine right now.) |
| Reanimar To revive | El equipo de emergencias logró reanimar al paciente. (The emergency team managed to revive the patient.) |
| Monitorear To monitor | Necesitamos monitorear los signos vitales constantemente. (We need to constantly monitor the vital signs) |
| Evaluar To evaluate | El médico va a evaluar la respuesta del paciente al tratamiento. (The doctor is going to evaluate the patient’s response to the treatment.) |
Essential Spanish Terms for ICU Medical Devices
In the ICU, there are several critical medical devices that patients need to help them recover. Learn 7 essential Spanish ICU medical terms for devices and see how to use them in context.
| Medical ICU device | Medical ICU device example |
| Incubadora (incubator) | El bebé prematuro está en una incubadora para mantener su temperatura estable. (The premature baby is in an incubator to keep their temperature stable.) |
| Monitor cardíaco (heart monitor) | El monitor cardíaco muestra el ritmo del corazón del paciente. (The cardiac monitor shows the patient’s heart rhythm.) |
| Ventilador / Respirador (ventilator/respirator) | El paciente está conectado al ventilador porque no puede respirar solo. (The patient is connected to the ventilator because they can’t breathe on their own.) |
| Sonda* (catheter, tube) | Vamos a insertar una sonda nasogástrica para alimentar al paciente. (We are going to insert a nasogastric tube to feed the patient.) |
| Oxímetro de pulso (pulse oximeter) | El oxímetro de pulso mide la saturación de oxígeno en la sangre. (The pulse oximeter measures oxygen saturation in the blood.) |
| Máquina de diálisis (dialysis machine) | El paciente necesita la máquina de diálisis porque sus riñones no funcionan bien. (The patient needs the dialysis machine because their kidneys aren’t working properly.) |
| Bomba de infusión (infusion pump) | La bomba de infusión controla la cantidad de medicamento que recibe el paciente. (The infusion pump controls how much medication the patient receives.) |
While most of these Spanish medical device terms are pretty straight forward, *sonda, refers to almost any kind of tube that introduces or removes fluids from the body, and sometimes is also called a catéter. You can check a previous blog we did discussing the catheter Spanish term and related vocabularly to do with central lines.
Essential NICU Medical Conditions in Spanish
Many different conditions can land patients in the ICU, but specifically in the NICU, there are a handful of special conditions affecting newborns (recién nacidos). Remember, in Spanish the NICU is the UCIN: la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales. Some of these condtions may also affect older children and adults alike, however, you’ll notice there are a few special condtions for los bebés.
| Medical NICU condition | Medical NICU Example |
| Bebé prematuro (premature baby) | El bebé prematuro necesita cuidados especiales en la UCIN. (The premature baby needs special care in the NICU.) |
| Problemas respiratorios (breathing/respiratory problems) | El recién nacido tiene problemas respiratorios y está usando un ventilador. (The newborn has breathing problems and is using a ventilator.) |
| Bajo peso al nacer (low birth weight) | El bebé tiene bajo peso al nacer y está en la incubadora para ganar peso. (The baby has low birth weight and is in the incubator to gain weight.) |
| Infecciones graves (serious infections) | El bebé en la UCIN tiene una infección grave que puede causar sepsis, una complicación peligrosa que requiere tratamiento inmediato. (The baby in the NICU has a severe infection that can cause sepsis, a dangerous complication that requires immediate treatment.) |
| Problemas cardíacos (heart problems) | El bebé tiene problemas cardíacos y recibe medicamentos para mejorar su función cardíaca. (The baby has heart problems and is receiving medication to improve heart function.) |
| Defectos congénitos (congenital defects) | En la UCIN, el bebé recibe cuidado especializado por un defecto congénito del corazón llamado comunicación interventricular. (In the NICU, the baby receives specialized care for a congenital heart defect called ventricular septal defect.) |
