JAMA surgery
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To describe the outcomes and the expected postoperative course for patients with do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders (DNR patients) who undergo emergency surgical management of bowel obstruction. ⋯ Outcomes are poor after emergency surgical intervention for bowel obstruction in elderly DNR patients, with high postoperative complication and mortality rates. The presence of a DNR order is an independent risk factor for postoperative mortality. Patients, their families, and their physicians must be counseled on surgical expectations preoperatively and made aware of the significantly higher risks involved when a DNR order exists in the setting of emergency surgical management of bowel obstruction.