Cardiac Arrest - Resuscitate or not?

In the event of cardiac arrest, would you wish to be resuscitated, or not?

  • I do not believe in an afterlife, and I WOULD NOT like to be resuscitated.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    15
  • Poll closed .
It would depend what condition I was in. Whether there is an afterlife or not I am not certain but I'm in no rush to join the Choir Invisible.

Same as Malf... you just went into cardiac arrest, in your present state, and medics were called.
 
Same as Malf... you just went into cardiac arrest, in your present state, and medics were called.

Not sure what the exact figures are for cardiac arrest survival in any particular country outside of hospital but they are very low on average (10 % ?). Even in hospital I don't think it's much more than 15 % possibly nudging 20 % in the majority. There are exceptions, Seattle (King County) appears to bring back a whopping 60%.
http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/news/2014/May/19-cardiac-survival.aspx

http://news.heart.org/cardiac-arrest-doesnt-have-to-be-death-sentence/

It's a good question BTW and I've voted for the first one. Probably because I would want to see if I could see those darn pictures (assuming I'm in a particpating hospital) but knowing my luck I'd be ruled out of the study for bias.
 
Not sure what the exact figures are for cardiac arrest survival in any particular country outside of hospital but they are very low on average (10 % ?). Even in hospital I don't think it's much more than 15 % possibly nudging 20 % in the majority. There are exceptions, Seattle (King County) appears to bring back a whopping 60%.
http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/news/2014/May/19-cardiac-survival.aspx

http://news.heart.org/cardiac-arrest-doesnt-have-to-be-death-sentence/

It's a good question BTW and I've voted for the first one. Probably because I would want to see if I could see those darn pictures (assuming I'm in a particpating hospital) but knowing my luck I'd be ruled out of the study for bias.

I'm just interested in other people's opinions. Personally, I wouldn't want to be resuscitated.
 
That's interesting. Is that because you are expecting something after death ?

I'd hate to be resuscitated but damaged. I vaguely remember reading about that GP who is horrified by the nightmare he is now living after being resuscitated, with a great deal of neurological damage. I don't feel any strong motivation to cling onto this existence. So when it's time for me to go (and CA seems like a nice way to go), I don't want any do-gooder interfering and bringing me back.

Since I've been researching these issues, I'm tending towards 'this existence ' not being all, and I now feel the idea of resusitation is somewhat strange, it's like somehow not accepting death.
 
resusitation is somewhat strange, it's like somehow not accepting death.
How is resuscitation different from any other medical extension of life? Is a cancer patient taking chemotherapy "not accepting death"? Is a diabetic not taking insulin? Is someone managing their high cholesterol through statins?

Seems a slippery slope to me. Now, if you are narrowing it to a definition of a life saving procedure with a reduced quality of life, that's another story. Otherwise, it seems like the age old adage of trying to be "half pregnant".
 
How is resuscitation different from any other medical extension of life? Is a cancer patient taking chemotherapy "not accepting death"? Is a diabetic not taking insulin? Is someone managing their high cholesterol through statins?

Seems a slippery slope to me. Now, if you are narrowing it to a definition of a life saving procedure with a reduced quality of life, that's another story. Otherwise, it seems like the age old adage of trying to be "half pregnant".

I've never thought about these other treatments you mention as extending life... I've always thought about them as preventing suffering and increasing quality of life. Resuscitation seems different to me.
 
Understood. I think it would be difficult to view current cancer treatments different under that lens. For all too many, they ultimately fail to prevent suffering and increase quality of life. Often with quite contrary results.

Its probably all in what circumstances one wishes to contemplate each. For a young person with a previously undiagnosed heart defect causing cardiac arrest, a resuscitation that leads to a surgical repair of the heart would seem to be obvious "good mojo" so to speak. Conversely, recommending an extremely difficult path of chemotherapy and radiation with a relatively low probability of success might not be appealing to a centenarian.

Being a father of three school age children, I have an obvious bias to try and reduce the suffering of my kids. I'm more than willing to bet I'll have a different view down the road. :)
 
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