code blue

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of code blue

First recorded in 1980–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

code blue

A code blue was called, and suddenly her mother was racing alongside a patient’s bed.

From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2026

I was the slowest doctor in the herd of physicians responding to code blue alerts for medical emergencies at the hospital.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 19, 2023

Hall was placed on administrative leave three days after Franco’s death and the code blue incidents “returned to historical frequency,” Schmidt’s report stated.

From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2022

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

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