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Table 1 American Heart Association guidelines on not administering CPR

From: A critical review of the factors leading to cardiopulmonary resuscitation as the default position of hospitalized patients in the USA regardless of severity of illness

Year

Guideline

1997

Medical futility justifies unilateral decisions by physicians to withhold or terminate resuscitation under the principle of medical futility. [23]

2010

“All pediatric and adult patients who suffer cardiac arrest in the hospital setting should have resuscitative attempts initiated unless the patient has a valid DNAR [Do Not Attempt Resuscitation] or has objective signs of irreversible death (e.g. dependent lividity).” [24]

2015

“In the 2010 Guidelines, it was noted that not initiating resuscitation and discontinuing life-sustaining treatment of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) during or after resuscitation are ethically equivalent, and clinicians should not hesitate to withdraw support on ethical grounds when functional survival is highly unlikely.” [38]