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Nursing vocabulary · Emergencies and the Deteriorating Patient

Code blue

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˌkoʊd ˈbluː/nounCommon term

In nursing, code blue means: A hospital emergency call meaning that a patient's heart or breathing has stopped and the resuscitation team must come at once.

In Turkish: mavi kod, kardiyak arrest çağrısı

How it is used

Used in US hospitals and in Turkey ('mavi kod'); UK hospitals usually say 'crash call' or 'arrest call', and the team is the 'crash team'. Staff 'call a code blue', and the emergency equipment trolley is the 'crash cart' (US) or 'resus trolley' (UK). Colour codes for other emergencies vary between hospitals.

Example sentences

  1. Call a code blue to bed 14 and bring the crash cart!

  2. The code blue team arrived within two minutes.

Common collocations

  • call a code blue
  • code blue team
  • respond to a code blue
  • code blue drill
  • CPRShort for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions, often with rescue breaths, given to someone whose heart has stopped, to keep blood and oxygen moving.
  • unresponsiveNot reacting to voice, touch or pain, so that the person seems unconscious; a sign that urgent help is needed.
  • DNRShort for 'do not resuscitate': a medical decision, recorded in the notes, that CPR will not be attempted if the patient's heart or breathing stops.
  • escalateTo pass a concern about a patient to a more senior or specialist person, such as the nurse in charge or a doctor, so that they can act on it.

More terms: Emergencies and the Deteriorating Patient

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.