7 Signs That Say “Do Not Resuscitate”

It is a moment in time that you will certainly face at some point in your EMS career. Most of us will face this decision many times over throughout our tenure. Should I attempt resuscitation? The question may be complicated by family, friends or bystanders who have, in good faith, started CPR prior to your arrival and fully anticipate that you will continue. Or perhaps other members of emergency services arrived before you and declared the patient not workable. They may advise you of their findings, without much further detail. “This guys dead.”  Often, responders who aren’t responsible for documenting the obvious death criteria can be much more casual about the determination of death. They may decide not to try to resuscitate because the patient “looks dead.” They aren’t the ones who have to write the paperwork and meticulously document the physical findings that allowed them to make the determination of obvious death … you are. How will you tell a family member or helpful bystander that it isn’t medically reasonable to continue CPR? How will you advise the well meaning first responder who failed to initiate resuscitation efforts that you’re going to begin them in earnest anyway? To proceed with confidence you need to know your resuscitation guidelines and you need to know your obvious signs of death. You need to know them well. When you walk into that room and assess the patient there won’t be time to consult reference car...
Source: The EMT Spot - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: EMT Source Type: blogs