| vitals / vital signs | basic measures such as pulse, blood pressure, breathing rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation |
| stable | not currently changing in a dangerous way; it does not mean healthy |
| unstable | at meaningful risk of deterioration or already deteriorating |
| crashing | rapidly becoming critically unstable |
| altered | changed mental status, awareness, or behavior |
| code blue | local emergency call usually indicating cardiac or respiratory arrest |
| cardiac arrest | the heart is not effectively pumping blood; not the same as a heart attack |
| CPR | cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
| defibrillate / shock | deliver an electrical shock for certain abnormal rhythms; not every arrest rhythm is shockable |
| shock | dangerous failure of circulation to supply organs; may also mean an electrical shock in a different sentence |
| airway | route through which air reaches the lungs |
| intubate | place a tube into the airway, usually the trachea |
| ventilator / vent | machine that supports breathing |
| bag / bagging | manually assist breaths with a bag-mask device |
| IV | intravenous line/access |
| central line | catheter placed into a large central vein |
| push | give a medication directly over a short period, commonly through IV access |
| bolus | a relatively concentrated dose or volume given over a short period |
| drip / infusion | fluid or medication delivered gradually |
| stat | immediately; from Latin statim |
| NPO | nothing by mouth |