Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation - ethical aspects

Abstract

Introduction. ?Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation? is a clear decision not to initiate resuscitation in the final stages of the disease. This decision shall be made if it is assessed that health will not be improved after resuscitation, and it can be made by the patient, family, or the medical team. Informed patient consent - ?Code status?. Informed patient consent or ?Code status? refers to the type of medical treatment the patient wants medical personnel to apply or not to apply in case of cardiac arrest. Patients make a decision about no resuscitated while they are in a situation to consciously make decisions, or authorize family members or guardians to make and implement such a decision for them. There might be a problem with patients and their families not fully understanding the meaning and the process of resuscitation, the prognosis, risks, and consequences. They do not understand the terms of short-term and long-term survival rates and post-resuscitation quality of life. Do not attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. According to the current guidelines from the European Resuscitation Council, a joint decision on cardiopulmonary resuscitation planned in advance should be the first priority from the ethical standpoint. The decision-making team should take into account the patient?s wishes when making the decision about cardiopulmonary resuscitation, thus, the end-of-life discussions with patients are necessary. The practice of ethics. It is necessary to know when to start and when to stop with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Several criteria need to be taken into account when making a decision not to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation. One unambiguous criterion is the safety of the rescuer. Conclusion. Continuous research is also needed to improve knowledge in this area and facilitate decision-making and improve post-resuscitation survival and quality of life for these patients.