Code purple in the hospital: a medical emergency that is not a cardiac arrest
Code purple signals a medical emergency. Not all facilities use it, and its definition varies. Here is what two Montreal CIUSSS say about it.
In the hospital, code purple calls for help for a person who needs care without being in cardiac arrest. Not every facility in Quebec uses code purple.
What code purple means
- CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (integrated health and social services centre): "Code purple is used to signal a medical emergency that requires immediate assistance."
- CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal: medical emergency other than cardiac arrest
Examples
The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal specifies that code purple covers a person who needs medical assistance that is not life-threatening. It gives three examples:
- A fracture
- A sprain
- A fall without loss of consciousness
Who is covered
In this CIUSSS, the procedure brings help to anyone on the site, grounds included: resident, client, staff member, visitor or worker.
What the witness does
According to the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, the witness:
- Notifies the receptionist or the security department, gives their name, the exact location and the nature of the emergency
- Gives first aid, if they have the necessary knowledge
- Stays at the scene and waits for help
A code that does not exist everywhere
The July 2019 leaflet of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale has no code purple. Neither does the March 2024 sheet of the CISSS des Laurentides, where code blue covers any medical emergency.
The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal itself writes that the standardization of codes is not complete in all its facilities.
Code purple or code blue
In facilities that have both, code blue signals cardiac arrest and code purple the other medical emergencies.
The other codes
Our articles on the other codes: code white, code blue, code pink, code yellow and code red. All the colours are gathered in the table of hospital colour codes.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a code purple in a hospital?
It is the call made for a medical emergency that is not a cardiac arrest, in facilities that use this code. A fall without loss of consciousness is one example at the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal.
What are the hospital colour codes?
The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal presents twelve: silver, white, blue, brown, grey, yellow, purple, black, orange, pink, red and green. The list and the definitions vary from one facility to another. At work, the procedure of your facility is the only one that counts.
What is a code pink?
At the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, code pink signals a paediatric cardiac arrest. At the CISSS des Laurentides, it signals a paediatric medical emergency.
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Sources
- CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Introduction aux mesures d'urgence, consulted on October 10, 2026
- CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, Mesures d'urgence, leaflet, July 2019
- CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Présentation des codes de couleur, consulted on October 10, 2026
- CISSS des Laurentides, Mesures d'urgence, quality sheet, March 2024