Objective To observe effects of problem-based learning(PBL) combined with case-based study (CBS)teaching mode in clinical teaching in intensive care unit(ICU). Methods Students from ICU of Fangcun Branch of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2011 to February 2012 were divided into treatment group (31 cases, with PBL combined with CBS teaching mode) and control group (34 cases, with the traditional teaching mode). Scores of two groups were compared and analyzed and questionnaire survey was conducted in treatment group. Data were processed by SPSS 13.0 statistical software. Measurement data were compared by t-test and data of heterogeneous variance were compared by rank-sum test. Results Treatment group achieved better scores ((85.26 ±5.96) in theory examination and (80.59 ±7.33) in case-analyzing examination) compared with those of control group ((79.17 ±7.31) in theory examination and (76.02 ±9.27) in case-analyzing examination)(P<0.05). PBL combined with CBS teaching mode can stimulate learning interests but it was lack of systematization; most students did not volunteer to speak. Conclusion PBL combined with CBS teaching mode has certain advantages in ICU clinical teaching.