You are scheduled to do a patient coming from the ward with Do Not Resuscitate orders. What does that mean and what do you do? Some would argue that General Anesthesia is a controlled resuscitation on every case, and, therefore either the DNR orders should be suspended or the case should be canceled. Does that choice afford the patient the quality care that he/she expects and deserves?
Across the nation, patients with terminal conditions come to the operating room for procedures that will not extend their lives but will improve the quality of life. Stabilization of a pathologic fracture or the insertion of a feeding tube are but two examples. Click here to read the excellent review of DNR in the operating room from the University of Washington Medical School and then come on back to www.procrna.com. Leave a comment and share your thoughts with your colleagues