Life & death decisions.

Annual checkup day. My doctor discussing my 'do not reuscitate' order and I'm asking to remind me of the details and probabilities. Paraphrasing here : "Well, if your heart stopped while you were in hospital, of course they'd restart it. But if it happened at home, by the time we got you in, it would be a bit late. Not saying you couldn't possibly be brougfht back but you might not be in good shape. Even if it was a relatively good recovery most people wouldn't last more than about a month; so what d'you think?"

Of course I left the DNR in place.

Doesn't later life get a bit surreal !

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Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

I'm a bit concerned why Doctors are having this conversation really.
Fine for it to be societally talked about but you shouldn't be getting that speech from someone who takes the oath

First do no harm

to save life at all costs.

Zeusdelight · 61-69, M

@Picklebobble2 You are assuming a person who is old should not say that the best treatment for them at their stage of life is to die.

CPR is not like you see in movies and tv which typically show about an 85% success rate.

In 2010 a review of 79 studies, involving almost 150,000 patients, found that the overall rate of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest had barely changed in thirty years. It was 7.6%.

Bystander-initiated CPR may increase those odds to 10%. Survival after CPR for in-hospital cardiac arrest is slightly better, but still only about 17%. The numbers get even worse with age.

Your health after CPR is most likely to be compromised due to inadequate oxygen.

So to die might be preferable to many of our aged people.

The World Medical Association version of the Hippocratic Oath now reads as follows: `At the time of being admitted as a Member of the Medical Profession, I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity. I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due.

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@Zeusdelight I assume nothing.
And as we all know statistics are collected and used to promote anything the user wishes them to.

This, to me, sounds like a cop-out from the medical profession to avoid the idea that an elderly patient might actually benefit from cpr and may even survive the treatment but it comes with the risk that those doing it (correctly or not) put themselves at risk of litigation if, as a result, they cause subsequent injury during it that later leads to possible prosecution as a potential cause of death in the patient.

Really · 80-89, M

@Picklebobble2 I fully expect my doctor to respond to my medical questions and concerns; if not I'll be looking for another doctor. And 'harm' - as in 'Do no harm' - can be judged & experienced differently by the patient than the doctor. If so, whose wishes should prevail?

Which raises an interesting thought: Why should I let my life be subject to someone else's interpretation of an ancient oath in whose formulation or swearing I had no part? 🧐 🙂