Refusing to do CPR... Woman dies

[hoosierdoc]

Elderly woman dies after nurse refuses to do CPR - SFGate

Unreal. I bet everyone transfers out of there the next day.

Edit: crappy article, it missed the fact she was a DNR

Her daughter, who is also a nurse, later told KGET that she was satisfied with the retirement home’s handling of the incident.

 

[Zachary8328]

"A skilled nursing facility ". B S. that place will be bankrupt here real shortly

 

[Zachary8328]

My dad died in a nursing home. No way I can trust them. It's always against their guidelines to do the right thing

 

[Doug]

Once congress gets the inheritance tax set to 100%, Obamacare will require all patients over 70 to be classified Do Not Resuscitate.

 

[jdmack79]

According to this article the woman had signed a do not resuscitate order. It was her wish to not have CPR performed.
Glenwood Gardens: Dispatcher's desperate plea for nurse to save woman, 87, who stopped breathing after she refused | Mail Online

 

[Gabriel]

Once congress gets the inheritance tax set to 100%, Obamacare will require all patients over 70 to become soylent green.

Fixed.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Oh, that's a totally different story then. Makes you wonder why 911 was called then

 

[Coolhuntermike]

Once congress gets the inheritance tax set to 100%, Obamacare will require all patients over 70 to be classified Do Not Resuscitate.

thanks for the laugh

 

[Hammer]

If the woman had a DNR, fine. If she did not have one the nurse and the facility is in a world of ****. She was trained to handle the situation, she had the duty to act.

 

[public servant]

Sounds like every resident there has a DNR order. I'm not seeing the issue as long as the residents/their families knew up front.

Now if this policy wasn't made known, then there will be issues.

Edit: Hammer beat me to it.

 

[Leo]

Why is that nurse drawing pay, and the customers paying for it if the residents do not want medical attention?

 

[Scuba591]

Just a reminder for those with elders still around. If the Patient wishes are for a Do Not Resistate... you have to have the signed paperwork available, and with the patient, for the first responders to review. Otherwise, we will have to "work" the patient according to our protocols

 

[rjstew317]

Why is that nurse drawing pay, and the customers paying for it if the residents do not want medical attention?

because there is far more to nursing care then the typical "emergency response". remember, this was an independent living facility not a hospital. residents of these types of facilities typical need nursing assistance to manage medications, treatments, and help with activities of daily living. just because someone is paying for medical treatment doesn't automatically mean they are hoping to be cured or that they want to continue living at all costs.

 

[public servant]

It will be interesting to see how this story came to light. Whether a family member complained, the dispatcher complained or the media was monitoring the EMS channel.

 

[dswilson]

According to this article the woman had signed a do not resuscitate order. It was her wish to not have CPR performed.
Glenwood Gardens: Dispatcher's desperate plea for nurse to save woman, 87, who stopped breathing after she refused | Mail Online

I wouldn't put alot of stock in that British tabloids account of an incident in the USA. If she had a signed DNR order that the nurse physically had in her hand then the EMS personnel would not have transported her. If no copy of that order is a available to EMS then it's proceed with CPR.

 

[antsi]

Why is that nurse drawing pay, and the customers paying for it if the residents do not want medical attention?

Curative vs. palliative.

Sometimes folks with terminal illnesses need care for comfort and to make their daily lives more pleasant (less unpleasant), but do not necessarily want their life to be artificially prolonged.

That's what I'd want in the situation of a terminal disease. If it's my time to go, let me go. Anything we can do to make the meantime a bit more pleasant, I'm OK with it. More importantly, I have the legal documents arranged to make sure this is how I will be treated.

 

[infiremedic07]

As a medic I am acutely aware of the fact that most people in skilled nursing centers have active DNR's. If they have one their record usually has it stamped on it or the paperwork will list them as either full code or DNR. I too wonder why she called 911 if there is an active DNR. I have gone to many nursing homes on cardiac arrests just to find that the patient is in arrest and has an active DNR. At which point I don't even begin CPR. Then the nurses will typically try to say that they have a DNR but the family would want everything possible done. To me this is an attempt to pass of final disposition paperwork and headache to the hospital. I have repeatedly called them on their lack of professionalism and written numerous letters to their administrators.
This is not a generalization of nurses in general but there are some that are in this profession but are not equipped to deal with death.
If you have not performed it, CPR is a violent action on the body and is hard for some people to do despite being trained. You would be suprised at the number of people that are trained that are unable or unwilling to perform it.

 

[Jack Burton]

As a medic I am acutely aware of the fact that most people in skilled nursing centers have active DNR's. If they have one their record usually has it stamped on it or the paperwork will list them as either full code or DNR.

Seems to me that something along the lines of a medical bracelet would work well in this situation, unless it would be too morbid of a daily reminder to the patient that their time is coming soon.

 

[IndyGunworks]

Oh, that's a totally different story then. Makes you wonder why 911 was called then

Happens all the time... we get called and once we get there paperwork is produced having a DNR. Sometimes the nurses are unsure of a DNR so they call 911 to get the process started until they can find the DNR order. If they cant find it and show it to us it doesnt matter who wants us to stop we continue, and the same is true the other way around.... if they have a DNR it doesnt matter who is asking us to try anyways, we will not do cpr.

 

[IndyGunworks]

Seems to me that something along the lines of a medical bracelet would work well in this situation, unless it would be too morbid of a daily reminder to the patient that their time is coming soon.

Because a bracelet is not a legal binding document, the piece of paper is.