Meaning & use
HDU
Last updated
Meaning
abbreviationmedicalBritish
A hospital unit that gives close monitoring and care to seriously ill patients who do not need full intensive care.
Grammar: Used as a noun; often appears before another noun, as in 'HDU bed' or 'HDU nurse'.
Patterns
- in HDU
- admitted to HDU
- HDU bed
- HDU nurse
After surgery, she spent two days in HDU before moving to a regular ward.
The hospital has expanded its HDU to cope with more seriously ill patients.
He was transferred from the emergency department to the HDU for closer monitoring.
Common combinations
- in HDU
- The patient is still in HDU, but she is stable.
- admitted to HDU
- He was admitted to HDU after his breathing became difficult.
- HDU bed
- There are only two HDU beds available in the hospital tonight.
- HDU nurse
- The HDU nurse checked his vital signs every hour.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ICU
- ICU (intensive care unit) provides more advanced life support for critically ill patients; HDU is for those who need close monitoring but not full intensive care.
- high dependency unit
- This is the full form of HDU; it is used in formal writing or when speaking to patients' families.
Commonly confused: HDU or ICU?
HDU vs ICU
ICU stands for intensive care unit, where patients need machines to support breathing or other organs; HDU is a step down from ICU, for patients who are seriously ill but more stable.
Practice
A patient who is seriously ill but does not need a breathing machine would most likely be cared for in ______.
Choose one answer.
HDU (high dependency unit) is for patients who need close monitoring but not full intensive care, such as a breathing machine. ICU is for critically ill patients who need life support; the emergency room treats emergencies before admission; an outpatient clinic sees patients who are not admitted.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “HDU”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.