CPR: is it cruel or is it kind?

When people have a cardiac arrest, whether in hospital or the community, there is a presumption is that cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be attempted in all but exceptional circumstances. This is based on ethical, legal, political and cultural principles. However, few patients leave hospital with their faculties intact following CPR, which often simply postpones death for a short time. The authors argue that this represents a poor use of public resources and condemns many patients to severe debilitation. They suggest that the focus should move towards preventing cardiac arrest, so that scarce resources can be redirected to interventions with proven benefits.