Health News: CPR Survival Rates

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Despite pains to fine-tune process for cardiopulmonary revival and the endurance time for older citizens known CPR has not altered much in current decades and this is a latest investigate has found.

“Although significant efforts have been made to improve CPR, we found … no significant change in survival,” said Dr. William Ehlenbach.
“People are living longer with chronic disease,” Ehlenbach said. “And, in people 65 and older, it’s more common to have multiple, serious chronic illnesses that are less survivable than an acute illness.”

“CPR has the highest likelihood of success when the heart is the reason, as in an ongoing heart attack or a heart rhythm disturbance,” he explained. “If you’re otherwise doing well, CPR will often be successful. But, if you’re in the ICU [intensive care unit] with a serious infection and multiple organ failure, it’s unlikely that CPR will save you.”

“People are very commonly surprised at the likelihood of survival after CPR,” Ehlenbach said. “Doctors and other health-care providers need to have discussions about end-of-life care and the role of CPR in end-of-life care. This study highlights the need for improved education and communication about end-of-life care.”
“In this study, blacks are requesting almost twice the rate of CPR,” Brauner said. “They don’t want ‘do not resuscitate’ orders.”
“The reasons for this are probably multifold,” he said. “Some may not have had access to health care in the past, and now that they do, they want to make use of all of the technologies. The other part of it is a trust issue. You really have to be able to trust your physician”.

“Sometimes it’s in your best interest to forego CPR,” Brauner said. “There is a burden that comes with getting these therapies. And, if you’re at the end stage of a chronic illness, CPR isn’t going to change that