CPR-Directive Conversations in the Emergency Department: The Opinion of Elderly Patients

Volume 3 | Issue 2 | Article 1 - Original Research

Kelvin H. Kramp, MD, PhD, Rutger de Hond, MD, Mirwais Mehrab, MD, Martijn Van Hooft, MD, Roger A.P.A. Hessels, MD
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INTRODUCTION

The reported incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCAs) varies in the range of 1.51 per 1000
in Italy, to between 2.33 and 3.73 per 1000 in the United States, and 17.5 per 1000 admissions in Beijing.
The incidence peaks in the morning hours the day after admission.1–3 Whether CPR should be performed
during an IHCA should therefore preferably be checked and decided upon as early as possible during
hospitalization. In most hospitals, the emergency department (ED) is the primary source of patient
admissions and therefore the first opportunity to start a conversation about CPR with hospitalized
patients.4

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