resus

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableinformalmedical

   Short for resuscitation: emergency treatment that revives someone whose heart or breathing has stopped.

   Grammar: Used without an article: the patient needed resus.

   Patterns

   • in resus
   • resus training

   The nurse started resus immediately.

   Everyone on the ward does annual resus training.

   The doctor decided to attempt resus.

2. 2nounsingularBritishmedical

   The area of a hospital emergency department where the most seriously ill patients are treated.

   Grammar: Usually with the or in: moved to resus.

   Patterns

   • in resus
   • taken to resus

   The ambulance took him straight to resus.

   Two doctors were waiting in resus.

   The patient was moved out of resus after an hour.

Common combinations

resus room

The resus room was ready when they arrived.

resus team

The resus team reached the ward in seconds.

resus trolley

Bring the resus trolley quickly.

in resus

He spent the night in resus.

resus training

All staff attend resus training every year.

Synonyms and how they differ

resuscitation

Resuscitation is the full formal word, while resus is clipped and used by medical staff in speech.

CPR

CPR is the specific technique of chest compressions and breaths, while resus covers the whole emergency treatment.

emergency room

Emergency room is the department as a whole, while resus is the part for the most critical patients.

Word family

resuscitate verb

to bring back to consciousness

resuscitation noun

the act of reviving someone

resuscitator noun

a device or person that revives

irresuscitable adjective

unable to be revived

Commonly confused: resus or rescue?

Practice

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