UNDERSTANDING WHEN CPR IS NECESSARY

Updated 8/25

Dear nurses, 

The Clinical Setting Step by Step is no longer available.

The image above shows a Code blue in progress. This is 
happening in the emergency Room. Always follow your

Institution's policies and procedures for Code Blue. 

The role of the nurse who is assigned to the Code Blue

The nurse has an important role in effective communication.
There are many responsibilities.

- staying calm in a chaotic situation
- giving clear instructions to coworkers
- ensuring that MD orders are conveyed correctly

- proper documentation of vital signs and all treatments /
  interventions that take place ( defibrillation for example)
  - the nurse becomes the " binding force.

It is important to recognize that as nurses, we may be floated 

to an unfamiliar environment. Having a good knowledge base

of such topics like CPR and knowing how to read an EKG is of
great importance. 

 Organizational skills in the clinical setting do matter.

A patient who has a straight line on the monitor,

requires immediate intervention. The nurse should
check the patient to make sure an electrode is not 
disconnected. 

If there is no disconnection, the patient may have 
gone into Cardiopulmonary arrest. This calls for 
CPR.

A Cardiopulmonary arrest is called a Code Blue.
This means the heart has stopped beating and the
body's cells are deprived of blood supply and oxygen.

Immediate action is taken by the staff , to call a Code
Blue overhead. This summons trained personnel to
that patient's bedside.