Hospital & community psychiatry
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Hosp Community Psychiatry · Sep 1992
Case ReportsDo-not-resuscitate orders for depressed psychiatric inpatients.
Many patients, especially those who are elderly and who have chronic medical illnesses, choose to forgo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in case of cardiac arrest. The right of mentally competent patients to refuse CPR is supported by ethicists, the courts, and medical associations. ⋯ Survival rates after CPR among elderly patients with chronic medical illnesses are low. Patients and their families need accurate information about the risks and benefits of CPR and about the consequences of refusing the procedure.