CPR LAWS

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2018

Okay, I've re-read the OP and the follow up post. Personally, I don't think the posts were well written and clear. It sounds as though the patient has coded several times and been resuscitated. The provider apparently wants a DNR put into the record so that the "next time" the patient has an arrest, CPR will not be initiated. With the OP's reference to brain death and two providers testing for that, it's also not clear in the OP's scenario if the provider wants to go even further by declaring the patient brain dead and removing mechanical support altogether.
If the OP could come back and clarify, it would be helpful.

Good point. I initially read the OP as "CPR is in progress and the provider wants to stop but the family wants to continue." If the situation is such that the patient has been resuscitated and is now intubated but has been declared brain dead, that's a completely different situation all together.

OP, if that's the case, brain death is determinant of death and family consent is not needed to withdraw support. Some people in this thread have referenced the Jahi McMath case- in that case support wasn't withdrawn not because her mother didn't consent to it (they didn't need her consent) but because she went to court and filed an injunction to stop the hospital from withdrawing support. She has not, to the best of anyone's knowledge, cardiac arrested since her initial cardiac arrest so no one has been put in the situation of having to resuscitate her again. At least not yet... They have her in NJ now- one of 2 states where family's can claim religious objection to a brain death declaration.

auntiedebe · Mar 24, 2018

Your BLS, AACLS training talks about futility of extending CPR. Use their standards to support stopping when M.D. calls code and pronounces. Your hospital requires certification , so you have that to protect you.