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What does it mean when you hear that a dear friend has had a heart attack and is in the hospital in critical condition? Just how bad is critical? You might call the hospital the next day and be told that his condition is stable. Does that mean he is out of danger now?

People are understandably curious and concerned when someone they know and care about has been admitted to the hospital. They want to be informed about how a patient is doing, and indeed if they are family they deserve as much information as they can get.

But the terms used to describe a patient's condition can be vague, simplistic and even misleading. And hospital personnel agree that they are not meant to be medically definitive.

"In reality, doctors don't make their rounds saying this patient is now in fair condition, this one is critical and so forth," says Dr. William Davidson, head of the intensive care unit and chief of pulmonary medicine at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore.

Here are the patient conditions generally agreed upon, and their definitions:

-- Good: Vital signs such as pulse, temperature and blood pressure are stable and within normal limits. The patient is conscious and comfortable. His outlook for recovery is good or excellent.

-- Fair (also satisfactory or stable): Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. The outlook is favorable.

-- Serious (also poor or guarded): The patient is acutely ill with questionable outlook. Vital signs may be unstable or not within normal limits. A chance for improved outlook.

-- Critical: Questionable outlook. Vital signs are unstable or not within normal limits. There are major complications. Death may be imminent.

"Sometimes you'll hear that a person is in critical but stable condition," says Dr. James Ricely, chief of cardiology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. "Well, that person could be dying of AIDS," he says. "He might be critical because he's on a respirator, but because he's had no new problems in the last 24 hours, he is stable."

Patient conditions are "extremely misleading," he says, but they are used because there is a demand for them. "People want to know something. They want an answer. The family expects one."

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