Chest
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The rising healthcare costs and the ethical and economic implications of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have generated interest in defining criteria to predict the appropriateness of CPR in specific patients. Age has been proposed as one such a criterion. ⋯ Age alone is not a valid criterion to decide whether a patient is a suitable candidate for CPR, and the principal diagnosis and main comorbidity at the time of admission do not appear to predict long-term survival either. Whether in-hospital CPR in noncritical care areas is cost-effective is an issue that society at large must eventually decide.