Yahoo News Doctors face dilemma of dying man with ‘do not resuscitate’ tattoo
Doctors faced a dilemma after a dying man was brought into a ward with a tattoo on his neck saying ‘DO NOT RESUSCITATE’.
Dr Gregory Holt at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital and his team initially thought they should ignore the tattoo – on the principle of ‘not choosing an irreversible path when faced with uncertainty’.
The patient, aged 70, had been brought it intoxicated with alcohol, and with his blood pressure dropping.
But when Dr Holt’s team consulted with ethics experts, the experts said that it was ‘reasonable to infer that the tattoo expressed an authentic preference’.
The researchers wrote, ‘After reviewing the patient’s case, the ethics consultants advised us to honor the patient’s do not resuscitate (DNR) tattoo. They suggested that it was most reasonable to infer that the tattoo expressed an authentic preference.’
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Subsequently, the social work department they found that the man had signed a Do Not Resuscitate Order – Form 1896 – which is legally binding in Florida.
The man died that day, according to IFLScience.
The researchers wrote, ‘The patient’s clinical status deteriorated throughout the night, and he died without undergoing cardiopulmonary respiration or advanced airway management.’
Dr Holt said, ‘This patient’s tattooed DNR request produced more confusion than clarity, given concerns about its legality and likely unfounded beliefs that tattoos might represent permanent reminders of regretted decisions made while the person was intoxicated.’
In a previous case, a man with a Do Not Resusciate tattoo revealed after he woke up that he had got the tattoo after losing a bet.
