When should doctors fake CPR?
17 days ago
- #medical ethics
- #end-of-life care
- #CPR
- Slow codes are half-hearted CPR attempts aimed at limiting harm during inevitable patient deaths.
- Bioethicists have historically deemed slow codes unethical due to their deceptive nature.
- Despite academic disapproval, many physicians and nurses still practice slow codes, believing them ethical in certain scenarios.
- CPR is often overused and misunderstood, especially among frail or terminally ill patients, leading to brutal outcomes.
- Physicians sometimes face legal and familial pressures to perform CPR even in futile situations.
- Slow codes may serve as an ethical compromise in conflict-ridden medical environments.
- Empirical studies show nearly half of physicians and nurses view slow codes as ethical in specific cases.
- Eliminating slow codes requires addressing systemic issues like misinformation and legislative overreach in end-of-life care.