Cardiopulmonary resuscitation preferences in the elderly

Objective: Many studies have examined the attitudes of elderly Americans towards cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A less formal approach to resuscitation decisions is usual in Europe, but few comparable studies have been reported in elderly European populations. We studied the views on resuscitation in a prospective series of elderly Irish patients. Methods: We administered a standardized questionnaire to 100 elderly patients who did not have cognitive impairment, depression or terminal or life-threatening illness. Patients were asked if they would wish to be resuscitated following a cardiac arrest in their present state of health and in a number of hypothetical clinical situations. Results: All of our patients would reject resuscitation in the event of severe functional or mental impairment. Even in their present state of health, only three patients would definitely opt for ressucitation, 74 patients would reject resuscitation, and the remainder would leave the decision to their family or doctor. Conclusions: These results suggests that there are substantial differences in attitudes to resuscitation between Irish and American elderly patients. Further studies in other European populations are necessary.