[When to terminate resuscitation in adults?].

Resuscitation in cardiac arrest rarely results in survival with a good neurologic outcome. It is therefore a common problem to decide when resuscitation should not be initiated or an ongoing attempt has to be terminated. Resuscitation attempts should be withheld or terminated if there is a do not resuscitate order (DNR), if resuscitation is not in accordance with the presumptive will of the patient or does not have a chance to allow the patient to continue an independent living. As long as ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia are present, however, resuscitation should be continued. Also in pulmonary embolism prolonged resuscitation measures may be necessary. In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation may be stopped when the three criteria are met: not witnessed arrest, no ventricular fibrillation or pulseless tachycardia, and no return of spontaneous circulation before arrival at the hospital. According to current guidelines in-hospital resuscitation can be terminated if the patient is in asystole for at least 20 minutes. In any case termination of a resuscitation attempt is an individual decision where all possible information on circumstances and on the patient should be taken into account. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.