what does code mean?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am considering this field as a career I have been surfing the thread an I have come across the term code.

Does this mean a person is dying?

Is there an emergency button that a nurse would push to inform a doctor or a senior that a pt is in trouble?

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Specializes in Neurology, Neurosurgerical & Trauma ICU.
I am considering this field as a career I have been surfing the thread an I have come across the term code.

Does this mean a person is dying?

Is there an emergency button that a nurse would push to inform a doctor or a senior that a pt is in trouble?

A "code" is a way of referring to a cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Yea, some hospitals actually do have a button in the pt's room for codes.

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Thank you.

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Specializes in Medical.

Although it means an arrest if someone says "patient X coded," "code" is really shorthand for "pay attention: important information" when it's announced over the PA, as there are a few kinds of code.

Here (Victoria) we have: yellow (an internal emergency, like a flood or power failure), brown (an external disaster, like a plane going down), purple (arson or bomb threat), red (confirmed is a fire, stand-by is smoke but no flames), orange (evacuation), grey (agression or threatening behaviour), black (hold-up or assault, not usually announced over the PA), and finally blue.

Although a code blue can mean cardio-respiratory failure, it refers to any medical emergency. Now that my hospital has instituted a Medical Emergency Team protocol, MET calls are made for a variety of conditions (resp rate 8, SaO2 130, SBP

The MET team includes an anaesthetist, ICU reg and RN, med reg, the unit reg/resident or cover, and the clinical coordinator, as well as an orderly. It's hospital policy that anyone can call a code blue, and that nobody jumps up and down demanding why it was called for something less urgent - like if a patient has a vasovagal and an inexperienced nurse panicks. I think it's a fabulous system, which is why I've gone on so much - sorry!

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
... MET calls are made for a variety of conditions (resp rate 8, SaO2 130...

Good post. Thanks!

(Think you may have meant respirations over 30 and under 8.)

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Specializes in Medical.

Oops! Yes, absolutely.

Really, you'd think I'd have my greater-than less-than arrows straight by now... mutter, mutter! :imbar

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