Descriptions of a patient's condition

A critical injury is one that is serious enough to:

• Place life in jeopardy.
• Produce unconsciousness.
• Result in substantial loss of blood.
• Involve the fracture of an arm or a leg but not a finger or toe.
• Involve the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot but not a finger or toe.
• Consist of burns to a major portion of the body.
• Cause the loss of sight in an eye.

Four common descriptions of a patient's condition used by hospitals are:

Good: The pulse, breathing and other vital signs are normal and stable. The patient is conscious and comfortable with a good outlook for recovery.

Fair: Pulse, breathing and other vital signs are near normal, and patient is conscious but might be uncomfortable or have minor complications with a favourable outlook for recovery.

Serious: Patient is acutely ill with an uncertain chance of recovery. Pulse, breathing and other vital signs may be abnormal or unstable.

Critical: Death may be imminent. Pulse, breathing and other vital signs are abnormal and unstable with major complications.

While many medics and police officers use the term "critical injury" to describe the severity of a patient's complaint, the triage and acuity scale of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians uses "trauma" in assessing patients during triage at emergency departments.

Sources: Ontario Workplace Safety & Insurance Board, The Canadian Press Stylebook, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians