Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jul 2000
ReviewCardiopulmonary resuscitation for palliative care patients: a discussion of ethical issues.
Medical advances have significantly improved the prognosis and life-expectancy for many patients with life-threatening illness. However, the ability to extend and prolong life increases the complexity of clinical decision-making, and this is particularly true in the context of palliative care. ⋯ It is in this setting that ethical dilemmas are likely to arise regarding the use of life-prolonging measures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This paper considers some of the ethical issues surrounding the use of CPR for palliative care patients in the hospital setting.