CPR Is Not Always the Answer, Especially for the Elderly: Study

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a basic first aid tool, which comes in handy in emergency situations in times of respiratory distress. But in some cases it can prove more harmful than beneficial, especially in people who are gravely ill or suffer from chronic illness and the very old and fragile, says a study.

A recent study in the Family Caregiver Alliance on CPR and people with advanced illness says patients are not informed or do not have enough knowledge about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). There is much misleading information about CPR on television, which provokes the patients to take wrong treatment decision hoping for full recovery.

Experts say, in the United States more than 350,000 people annually experience cardiac arrest. Majority of the attack do not occur in hospital and those who are given CRP from a bystander have three times more chances of surviving compared to people who don't receive first aid .

"There's no doubt CPR saves lives", Dr. Dhruv Khullar resident physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, told the New York Times. CPR can bring victim of heart attack, drowning and drug overdoses back to life.

However, in some cases of terminal disease CPR can lead to prolonged painful death as it can cause internal bleeding, fractured ribs, bruised lungs, and damaged airways.

It is routine in hospitals to get consent for the resuscitation process in case the heart stops beating. Very few are aware of what the procedure involves and that it can be physically brutal for the elderly. Some experts believe that in patients with very low likelihood of recovering, CPR leads to an unnecessarily prolonged and painful death.

Another study in the Journal National Centre for Biotechnology Information says that actual percent of elderly patient's recovering is lower compared to the expectations. The study found that 81 percent believed that their chances of leaving the hospital were greater than 50 percent following CPR, while statistics show that only 10 to 20 percent actually are able to go home.

Dr Bhullar say that TV medical shows generally depict CPR victims recovering or dying but no-one cares to show what happens after the revival or the aftermath of the CPR process for the elderly.

"Television medical dramas may be giving people an inflated view of CPR's success and patients should get an accurate explanation of CPR before they sign a paper stating they wish the procedure if they stop breathing ." says Dr Khullar.

The study, Advanced Illness: CPR & DNR is published in the journal Family Caregiver Alliance.