A term that is commonly used in North American hospitals. This term is used when a patient has extremely low vitals or is exhibiting signs of a worsening condition. When a Rapid Response is initiated the annoucement over the public address system alerts medical personel to the specific patients room. Doctors, nurses, ICU/critical care nurses and respiratory technicians show up to helpthe patient. The overall goal is to catch the patient before they can go into respiratory or cardiac arrest, which is known as Code Blue.
by Ser Rees McKelvey June 7, 2010