A code blue is a situation that requires advanced life support including resuscitation or intubation of a patient in response to severe illness or sudden deterioration. Code blues are common in the emergency room and intensive care units. It is desired that, through ongoing care and monitoring, a patient receiving care within the hospital environment and outside the emergency room and intensive care unit will not “code” to require emergency resuscitation or intubation.

A lower rate of code blues is an indicator of the effectiveness of patient monitoring, timely interventions, and overall quality of care while a high number denotes the opposite. The overall desire is to have zero code blues outside the emergency room or ICU. The graph below indicates our performance over time.