The Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society : official organ of the Louisiana State Medical Society
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This paper presents an overview of the ethical issues involved in creating policy regarding the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was introduced in 1965 as a method to revive victims of acute cardiac insult from near-death conditions. ⋯ Since the introduction of CPR, the scope of its use has widened such that it is often used in situations for which it has shown little, if any, benefit, and also in situations where it is contraindicated. This paper uses the issue of CPR to show how the bioethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice can be used to analyze issues in medical ethics.