Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders are necessary if resuscitation, the default option in hospitals, should be avoided because a patient is known to be dying and attempted resuscitation would be inappropriate. To avoid inappropriate resuscitation at night, if no DNR order has been recorded, after-hours medical staff are often asked to have a DNR discussion with patients whose condition is deteriora...

As more Americans have become aware of end-of-life planning, health care professionals are faced with more "Do Not Resuscitate" orders. A patient with a terminal condition who has signed such an order may enter the operating room for a surgical procedure; few hospitals have developed protocols to assist the medical staff. In most hospitals, it is unclear whether the medical staff should honor t...

OBJECTIVE To describe the reasons for, and immediate outcome following Medical Emergency Team (MET) activation. METHODS Retrospective analysis of MET calls in 1998. RESULTS There were 713 MET calls to 559 in-patients. Of the 559 patients 252 (45%) were admitted to ICU and 49 (6.9%) died during the MET response. The three commonest criteria for calling the MET were a fall in GCS>2 (n=155); a...

IMPORTANCE While data exist regarding the frequency and timing of the do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order in children, little is known about clinician attitudes and behaviors regarding this order. OBJECTIVE To identify clinician attitudes regarding the meaning, implication, and timing of the DNR order for pediatric patients. DESIGN Physicians and nurses from practice settings where advance care ...

Background: Previous studies have shown that several factors affect the outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In this study, we have evaluated the factors associated with the outcome of resuscitation in in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest patients (IHCA) 002E. Methods: This cross-sectional non-probability study was performed on patients with in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest between 2015 a...

AIMS Elderly heart failure (HF) patients are assumed to prefer improved quality of life over longevity, but sufficient data are lacking. Therefore, we assessed the willingness to trade survival time for quality-of-life (QoL) and the preferences for resuscitation. METHODS AND RESULTS At baseline and after 12 and 18 months, 622 HF patients aged ≥60 years (77 ± 8 years, 74% NYHA-class ≥III) part...

BACKGROUND Cardiac arrest affects 30-35, 000 hospitalised patients in the UK every year. For these patients to be given the best chance of survival, high quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) must be delivered, however the quality of CPR in real-life is often suboptimal. CPR feedback devices have been shown to improve CPR quality in the pre-hospital setting and post-event debriefing can i...