Question

You have a 70-year-old female patient in cardiac arrest. Your partner begins compressions, and another paramedic on-scene begins ventilating with an OPA and BVM. You look over to the fridge and find the patient's DNR orders that state the patient does not want any life-saving procedures and looks to be signed and valid. However, the patient has many pictures of her family on the fridge, and pictures drawn for her by her grandchildren. There is no family on-scene.

What are the next steps that you should take?

A. Continue basic CPR and airway control, and transport to the hospital so they can determine whether or not to continue resuscitation

B. Discontinue all resuscitation measures, and take the next steps of notifying your dispatch and/or local medical coroner, as laid out by protocol

C. Follow full ACLS protocols for at least two minutes to assess whether the patient can be resuscitated, as the patient looks to have a very loving family and you want to make sure you can do everything you can

D. Continue basic resuscitation, and attempt to get in contact with the family to determine whether or not you should discontinue

Answer 1

In this scenario, the appropriate next step is to discontinue resuscitation measures and notify dispatch or the medical coroner.

Step-by-step explanation:

The next steps that should be taken in this situation is option B: Discontinue all resuscitation measures, and take the next steps of notifying your dispatch and/or local medical coroner, as laid out by protocol.

In this scenario, the patient has a valid DNR order, which clearly states that she does not want any life-saving procedures. As a medical professional, it is crucial to respect the patient's wishes and honor the DNR order. Continuing resuscitation in this case would be against the patient's expressed desires.

Once the decision to discontinue resuscitation measures has been made, it is important to follow the appropriate protocols and notify the necessary authorities, such as dispatch and/or the local medical coroner.