A "Do-Not-Resuscitate" - DNR Order

Paper Summary:

This paper explains why it is unethical and impractical to expect people to sign a DNR order as part of their health care plan when, at the time of signing, they are perfectly healthy. It uses real medical cases illustrating why doing so is problematic and to argue that DNRs, while justified at times, can often be unsuitable for persons to specify in advance for any medical condition that may arise.

From the Paper:

"A 'Do-Not-Resuscitate' - DNR Order from an adult patient directs the medical staff not to attempt to restore the patient if his breathing or heartbeat has blocked. This means that doctors, nurses and other health care practitioners will not start emergency procedures like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, external chest compression, electric shock, and insertion of a tube to open your airway, injection of medication into your heart or open chest. Additionally, the Health Care Proxy Law permits an adult patient to employ someone to make decisions about DNR and other treatments if the patient is not capable of doing the same. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation - CPR refers to the medical procedures employed to revive a patient's heart and breathing when the patient experiences heart failure. CPR may include minor efforts such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and external chest compression. Sophisticated CPR may include electric shocks, inserting of a tube to open the patient's airway, injecting medication into the heart and in complex difficult cases, open chest heart massage. "

More papers on A "Do-Not-Resuscitate" - DNR Order:

• Research Paper # 94047 : "Unilateral Do Not Resuscitate Orders (DNR)"
• Term Paper # 55746 : "Do Not Resuscitate"
• Case Study # 109000 : "Ethical Issue: Do Not Resuscitate"

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