In medical terms, the word ‘coded’ is often used to describe a situation where a patient experiences a life-threatening event, such as cardiac arrest, and requires immediate resuscitation. When a patient ‘codes,’ it means that their heart has stopped beating effectively, and they are in need of urgent medical intervention to restore their heartbeat and breathing.
During a code, a team of healthcare professionals will typically perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and may use other life-saving measures such as defibrillation, medications, and advanced airway management. The goal is to stabilize the patient and restore normal heart function as quickly as possible.
It’s important to note that the term ‘coded’ is often used informally among medical staff and may not be used in official medical documentation. Instead, terms like ‘cardiac arrest’ or ‘respiratory arrest’ are more commonly used in patient records.