title: "Do not resuscitate" (DNR) orders and the anesthesiologist: a survey.
abstract: Anesthesiologists were surveyed to determine their experience and opinions regarding "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) orders in the perioperative period. Four hundred fifteen questionnaires were mailed and 193 (47%) were returned. One hundred sixty-one (87%) of 186 respondents had been requested to provide (and more than two-thirds had provided) monitored anesthesia care, regional anesthesia, or general anesthesia to a patient with a DNR order. Almost two-thirds of the respondents assume DNR suspension in the perioperative period and only half discuss this assumption with the patient/guardian. Less than 50% of respondents would require DNR suspension for a palliative procedure contrasted with > 60% for an elective procedure. After agreeing to a patient's decision to retain their DNR status, > 67%, > 58%, < 49%, and < 33% would utilize positive pressure ventilation with a mask, vasoactive drugs, endotracheal intubation, or defibrillation, respectively, in the event of a cardiopulmonary arrest in the perioperative period. These findings suggest much ambiguity regarding DNR orders in the perioperative period. Further discussion among physicians and patients is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Clemency
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011996:Records; D016414:Resuscitation Orders; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D028761:Withholding Treatment