To “full code,” as the Huffington Post puts it, means to intervene in the event of a patient’s cardiac or respiratory arrest. Those who hear this code should not attempt CPR or intubation, the polar opposite of the DNR/DNI code.
According to the Huffington Post, unless a patient or family member specifically requests differently, she will be assigned a complete code upon admission to the hospital. Full code means the hospital has been given permission to use extraordinary measures in an effort to save the life of a patient who is very close to death. Some patients may prefer to have only particular emergency procedures carried out, such as intubation but no cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
