dis nurses/doctors/hospital workers,explain this to me

[mrFDNY]

hi all,
i just have a question.i was just watching the news about a story of a man shot.i have no connection to this event and i did not know the victime at all.but they say he is in critical but stable condition??
i always thought critical condition maens you might die and stable meant you would not die. so what does this term mean?critical but stable??

 

[mrFDNY]

btw if you were interested we use the term likely or not likely in the streets.
likely-means your likely to die or expire
not likely-means your not likely to die or expire.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

stable: sense of a stable condition--as in not declining.
critical: requiring extraordinary measures to preserve life--breathing tubes, large amounts of blood, intravenous fluids and lots of medicine.

Usually, Critical but Stable means that they're really in dire condition but they're expecting them to get better...not die.

 

[copper68]

i dunno... this is just a thought..

patients that are in critical but stable condition are not out of the woods by any means, but are status quo.. they may be hanging on to life by the skin of their teeth, but as of right now, nothing is changed and they are stable?? their vitals may be poor but they're not changing, therefore they're stable..

haha i dunno.. i sound crazy and rambling..

 

[Dan Murphy]

I would say in danger of dying however no changes in vital signs.

 

[Poohlovr]

Just as others have said--it means he's in bad shape (critical) and hanging at that point--not necessarily improving, but not getting any worse, either.