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code blue

American  

noun

  1. (often initial capital letters) a medical emergency in which paramedics are dispatched to aid a person undergoing cardiac arrest.


Etymology

Origin of code blue

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The nurse called a code blue, a life-threatening emergency.

From Seattle Times • May 23, 2021

Nurse Kristen Cline was working a 12-hour shift in October at the Royal C. Johnson Veterans Memorial Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when a code blue rang through the halls.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2021

The nurse called a code blue, and a team of more doctors and nurses ran over.

From Scientific American • Nov. 9, 2019

It was his first code blue at Woodhull, a public hospital in Williamsburg.

From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2014

“Code blue, code blue in Trauma,” blares the PA.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman