Lebensbedrohliche

Lebensbedrohlich is a German adjective meaning life-threatening. The base form is lebensbedrohlich; the inflected form lebensbedrohliche is used before feminine nouns (for example, eine lebensbedrohliche Situation). The term is primarily used in clinical and emergency contexts to describe conditions, injuries or scenarios that pose an immediate danger to a person’s life. It is not a diagnosis itself, but a descriptor that signals urgency and the need for rapid assessment and intervention.

In medical practice, lebensbedrohliche Zustände require urgent evaluation and treatment, often following standardized resuscitation or triage approaches. Examples include acute myocardial infarction, massive bleeding, airway obstruction, severe sepsis or septic shock, major trauma with instability, strokes with reduced consciousness, and anaphylaxis. The designation may also apply to critical laboratory abnormalities that threaten life if not promptly corrected.

Etymology and usage: the term is formed from Leben (life) and bedrohen (to threaten) with the adjectival suffix -lich. It is used in medical documentation, emergency communications, and journalism to convey the immediacy of danger. As a descriptor, it does not replace a specific diagnosis but guides urgency and initial management.

See also: Notfall, Notaufnahme, Notfallmedizin, Lebensgefahr. In English, the equivalent term is life-threatening.