What Are the Ethics of Administering CPR?
Last week in Bakersfield, a nurse at an independent care facility refused to give CPR to an elderly woman who had collapsed, even after a 9-1-1 dispatcher's insistence. Beyond the initial outrage, ethical questions have arisen regarding the administration of CPR to persons in distress.
When is it appropriate to administer CPR? Is the person giving the CPR legally liable should the person die -- or live?
Dr. Edward Schneider, former head of gerontology at USC, joins Val and tries to answer some of these pressing questions.