When is CPR ‘futile’?

CPR is “futile” when it offers no clinical benefit. When CPR offers no benefit, your physician is ethically justified to withhold resuscitation. Clearly it is important to define what it means to “be of benefit.” The distinction between merely providing measurable effects (e.g. normalizing the serum potassium) and providing benefits is helpful in this deliberation.

CPR is “futile” when it offers no clinical benefit. When CPR offers no benefit, your physician is ethically justified to withhold resuscitation. Clearly it is important to define what it means to “be of benefit.” The distinction between merely providing measurable effects (e.g. normalizing the serum potassium) and providing benefits is helpful in this deliberation.