Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is part of the standard of care for the event of cardiac arrest during hospital admissions. The “do not resuscitate” (DNR) order documents that patients do not wish to pursue CPR in the event of cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA). The Ministry of Health has announced that 69.7% of middle-aged home residents in [...]

Background: Code status discussions often link do-not-intubate (DNI) orders with do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, although cardiac arrest accounts for less than 2% of endotracheal intubations. Furthermore, in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is associated with worse outcomes than intubation. DNR orders are more commonly implemented for older patients with more comorbid conditions regardless of the reason for hospitalization, [...]

Background: A do-not resuscitate (DNR) order prohibits use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the event of cardiopulmonary arrest. It should not be applied to any other interventions other than CPR. However, we reported that DNR status altered physicians’ decision making pertaining to use of non-CPR procedures in Japan (reported in ACP Japan chapter 2014, data [...]