Posted on 03/03/2013 2:19:31 PM PST by Nachum
A 911 dispatcher pleaded with a nurse at a Bakersfield, Calif., senior living facility to save the life of an elderly woman by giving her CPR, but the nurse said policy did not allow her to, according to a newly released audiotape of the call.
"Is there anybody there that's willing to help this lady and not let her die?" the dispatcher asked in a recording of the 911 call released by the Bakersfield Fire Department.
"Not at this time," the nurse said.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday when 87-year-old Lorraine Bayless collapsed at Glenwood Gardens, a senior living facility in Bakersfield.
In the seven-minute, 16-second recording, the nurse told the dispatcher it was against the facility's policy for employees to perform CPR on residents.
With every passing second, Bayless' chances of survival were diminishing. The dispatcher's tone turned desperate.
"Anybody there can do CPR. Give them the phone please. I understand if your facility is not willing to do that. Give the phone to that passerby," the dispatcher said. "This woman is not breathing enough. She is going to die if we don't get this started."
(Excerpt) Read more at gma.yahoo.com ...
A DNR is a possibility I hadn’t considered and is a valid point.
That being said, if this lady did not have one I’m not sure I could have stood down and not attempted to help if I had that capability. Policy or not. I here there is a “Good Samaratin” law.
A sign of our troubled times, I guess.
Oath: "The health and life of my patient will be my first consideration"
Sorry, I’m sure that patient signed the DNR before they go into an end life facility. You can’t go against their final wishes. This was like this before Obamacare
here=hear
Truth bump.
This is entirely correct, and people should be aware of the reality of these situations. In my view, it is entirely acceptable for an elderly patient to state and document that they do not want to have resuscitation attempted if they suffer sudden death, but this has to be spelled out before hand, including the details of what they do and don't want done (e.g. attempted cardioversion, but no chest compressions or intubation, etc.). In cases in which a patient has requested this, and resuscitation attempts were made anyway, lawsuits have resulted. This is not the same as assisted suicide. This is a decision for non-intervention when natural death occurs. Of course, this begs the question of 'what is natural death?'.
I see a lot of similarities with this situation. Staff may have been hesitant to initiate CPR on an 87 year old and the chances of her surviving even if the CPR had been started is next to zero. Had she been resuscitated there would have been a good chance she would have been brain dead. There comes a point where DNR orders are appropriate.
Thankfully it was not my mother because I know where both the “nurse” and I would be. The “nurse” would be in hell and I would be in jail.
Why call 911 then?
Who made the call? Why?
I had to put my mother into a care facility a couple of times in 2010 when I went out of town. Each time I had to specify DNR or Full Code. I chose Full Code.
But 911 was called. Does that not in effect override a DNR?
When I was taking care of my terminally ill mother, hospice nurses told me specifically to NOT call an ambulance or they would be obligated to try revive her.
When she checked into the Old Folks’ Home, she signed a DNR.
Her wishes were fulfilled.
It doesn't sound like it was an end life facility. I am not knowledgeable about this sort of thing. Did I miss something?
Death-Care ................................................................ FRegards
‘From the American HEART Association: “Only an estimated 8% of victims who suffer a SCA outside of a hospital setting survive.”’
What is your point?
The Daily Mail reports the woman had signed a “do not resuscitate” order.
I meant to include this link to the Daily Mail story. It explains more about the policy.
Brain damage begins to set in after six minutes, except occasionally in the case of a cold water dry drowning. Hard call to make when your on a first responder dive team. I was on such a team years ago, and had to make that call twice. One lived, the other I had to take a pass. Both very hard calls.
I, also along with my two RN sisters had to make the same call for my 86 year old mother in 06. She had a DNR of her own volition. We respected her wishes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.