Hospital Code Blue

A code blue is part of an emergency code system in hospitals. It alerts the staff and the code blue team that someone’s experiencing a medical emergency. It usually means their heart has stopped (cardiac arrest) or they’ve stopped breathing (respiratory arrest).

You might hear a code blue announced over the speakers at a hospital or another medical building. It may include an alarm or other warning sound. It will include a location, like the name of a building, floor number and a bed number or department. For example, you might hear: “Code blue, X building, fourth floor, Bed 15.”

What happens during a code blue?

During a code blue, a team of healthcare providers (“code blue team”) will attempt to get a person’s breathing and heartbeat back to normal.

Every hospital has its own policy for code blue events. They might:

• Have a code blue team that could include doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and pharmacists
• Require any medical personnel who are near the emergency to report to a code blue

Each team member in a code blue event has a specific job, plus a team leader. This helps the team work together to revive the person. They’ll have a crash cart that has a defibrillator and all the medications and supplies they need for code blue situations.

During a code blue, providers may use:

• CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation): Chest compressions keep your blood pumping to your organs.
• Manual or mechanical ventilation: Providers open your airways by placing a tube in your windpipe. They use either a bag they operate by hand or a ventilator machine to get oxygen to your lungs and body.
• Defibrillation: A defibrillator can get your heart’s abnormal heart rhythm back to a normal one. It’s not used to restart your heart if it stops beating.
• Medications: Epinephrine and other medications used during code blue can improve circulation to vital organs in your body, like your heart and brain.

If the team can revive the person, healthcare providers will work to stabilize their condition. Providers will closely monitor them in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Do hospital code blue announcements refer only to patients?

No. A code blue can mean anyone in the hospital. This includes visitors and hospital staff.

Does code blue mean that someone has died?

A code blue announcement doesn’t mean that someone has died. But it does mean someone’s experiencing a life-threatening emergency.

Are there other emergency codes?

Yes. These codes are a quick way to let hospital staff know that there’s an emergency. The code tells them what kind of emergency it is and where. Most of the time, there’s nothing you need to do during these codes. For your safety, follow any directions hospital staff gives you.

Different colors of emergency codes have different meanings. In the U.S. and Canada, “code blue” almost always means a medical emergency. But other colors can have different meanings depending on the state or even the individual hospital. For example, “code pink” could mean a medical emergency or other emergency situation involving a child.