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

Around an hour later, a “code blue” was called on her, records show.

From New York Times

His wife was getting a new port for her dialysis when staff at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence called a “code blue” Friday because she was unresponsive.

From Seattle Times

“What was really stressful about the situation was that we never had a real code blue in the center,” Davenport said.

From Seattle Times

The nurses started CPR and a “code blue,” or medical emergency, team was called.

From Seattle Times

Nurses found that patient on the ground in their room and called a “code blue” for a life-threatening emergency, the state found.

From Los Angeles Times