Code Blue Experiences

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Hey Everyone,

I'm interested in knowing of your code blue experiences. What happened, what was the outcome and was it your patient...I have only ever seen one person being coded, with no success. Patient was already blue before they started compressions. I look forward to your stories.

Specializes in Cardiac Cath Lab, LTC.

I now work in LTC and once had an admission come in by transport stretcher from the local hospital. The escort rolls the pt in on the stretcher and I'm pulling down the sheets and look over at the guy and say "is he breathing?" and the transport guy says "sure he is" and I look closer and say "oh no he's not" and called a code! Fastest admission/discharge I ever had :)

On the brighter side, used to be a paramedic......NEVER saved one but when working in the Cardiac Cath lab, have seen several code on the table and brought them all back! Think it's really about timing.....with the cath lab, everyone is right there on top of 'em.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

One of our ER docs coded, was resuscitated, and came back to work. Remembered me from the code, told me about a feeling of overwhelming peace, the bright light, and that he'd never be afraid of dying again. When a doc I'd worked with for 5 years told me all that, it really struck me.

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Specializes in ICU.

I had one pt, fresh heart post op, sat him up on the side of the bed at midnoc like we do everybody. He asked for a sip of water, then his eyes rolled back, his pulse ox plummeted, went into VTach, and lost his pressure. He went from sitting up drinking water to me doing compressions on his chest in less than 60 seconds. I think he had a partially paralyzed diaphram, because we never could get him off the vent.

On some of the real nasty codes, I've counted up to 35 people in or just outside the room - RNs, CNAs, MDs, Xray, Stat Lab, Pharmacists, plus a Doc on the EICU camera/intercom, two or three phone lines stretched to the breaking point (RN with surgeon, RN with blood bank, RN with main pharmacy). Some times we had two nurses checking in blood, platelets, or cryo, a nurse on each side of the bed squeezing it in by hand - bag after bag, or hanging Plasmanates bottle after bottle, a nurse on each chest tube miking out clots. I mean, this is stuff you don't see on television. IT's CRAZY! :eek: :uhoh3:

Although, I never did it myself, I've seen RN's riding the bed doing chest compressions as they wizzed off to the OR. (DUCK when you go through the door!) Our code carts had a 'chest opening tray' in the bottom drawer and when they called for that, grab a good seat because you're in for a real site! The surgeon would say something like "Keep them alive until I get there!" on the phone " ... and have the chest opening tray ready." Before you know it, the surgeon is pulling the stainless steel sternal wires out with pliers and flinging them across the room, doing open heart surgery right there in the bed. Then he'd be doing open cardiac massage on the way back to OR.

Well, you can forget about having a lunch break that night, that's for sure! :rolleyes:

Or perhaps, it will be a quick code: intubate, defib, start a drip and then you spend the rest of your shift with the intensivist MD helping put in a Swan-Ganz catheter, an Art line, getting Xrays. Charting. Charting. Charting.

Lesson: if you get a chance to get a lunch in early - take it! Because you never know when the **** is going to hit the fan. :yeah:

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Specializes in ICU, ER.
Lesson: if you get a chance to get a lunch in early - take it! Because you never know when the **** is going to hit the fan. :yeah:

AMEN!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Originally Posted by NickiLaughs viewpost.gif

We had a guy who woke up out of the code (was a physician) and wanted an update on his status and started barking orders
.

:eek: that's too creepy

Nah, that's really funny. And very realistic.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I was really upset after my first code as a new nurse. We got the lady back, but she died in the ICU the next day. I still remember her name and what she looked like.

After the code the attending doc said something like, "These pts rarely have good outcomes in the long term" and then of course, she died the next day. Afterwards, I was talking to one of our assistant directors about it and how sad and upsetting it was (she had a huge family and they were all upset). So, I told the AD that it seemed like such a horrible waste to put that lady through all of that and she didn't make it anyway - never regained consciousness - what was the point? I'll never forget this - she said, "We don't necessarily do it for the pts, we do it to give the families time to say good bye."

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I'll never forget this - she said, "We don't necessarily do it for the pts, we do it to give the families time to say good bye."

Wow. I would have never though of it that way. What strong words.

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Specializes in ICU, ER.
I was really upset after my first code as a new nurse. We got the lady back, but she died in the ICU the next day. I still remember her name and what she looked like.

After the code the attending doc said something like, "These pts rarely have good outcomes in the long term" and then of course, she died the next day. Afterwards, I was talking to one of our assistant directors about it and how sad and upsetting it was (she had a huge family and they were all upset). So, I told the AD that it seemed like such a horrible waste to put that lady through all of that and she didn't make it anyway - never regained consciousness - what was the point? I'll never forget this - she said, "We don't necessarily do it for the pts, we do it to give the families time to say good bye."

That's a nice thought and all, but after an unsuccessful code it's generally not a pretty sight. If it is an autopsy case (all of the codes that I've seen have been), we aren't allowed to take out any lines or anything so the family has to view their loved one with an ET tube, multiple IV sites, and God knows what else.

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Specializes in Emergency.

But if they survive the code, I think she meant it gives the family time to say good bye and wrap their heads around how ill their loved one is. I've only ever seen 2 ME cases and the family wasn't allowed in the room either time until the ME had cleared it.

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I'll never forget this - she said, "We don't necessarily do it for the pts, we do it to give the families time to say good bye."

Wow! new perspective...

mine - one man came in at the start of my shift from ER. Suddenly he became delirious and started to break in cold sweat. Vitals have not even been taken yet. I know he was going to collapse and through enough we did code blue even before admission. He didn't make it.

another one was on a night shift. BGIT pt was bleeding +++ per rectum with malena and vomiting fresh blood at the same time. I can't remember for the life of me how we did d cpr...but he survived and went to ICU...whew...

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Specializes in Cardiac Cath Lab, LTC.
So has anybody ever heard back from a successful code, were they grateful or wish they could have "gone towards the light"...

I actually had a guy code in the ambulance on his way to the ER when I was a medic and we got him back. He was sent to ICU and we heard later he'd made it, so astonished, my partner & I went to visit him in the hospital. He told us about "floating inside the ambulance" and even told us things we said to each other while he was being coded. Creepy.

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I have been to many codes none of which were successful.

I find it extraordinary that you have been to "many" codes but NONE of them were successful.

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