Following pearl contributed by:
Tony Halat, MD
Clinical Instructor in Medicine
Department of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital
Weill Medical College, Cornell University
Limited codes do not work
There is no such thing as soft code
There is no such thing as soft code
A study looked at the outcome of limited codes in which certain treatments were intentionally not provided versus full ACLS protocol codes. These limited codes had a much lower survival rate than those run with no such limitations (29.4% vs 58.6% p=0.023)
The authors concluded that limited codes have lower rates of survival and this information should be conveyed to patients and families when making decisions about code status.
Analysis of limited resuscitations in patients suffering in-hospital cardiac arrest - Resuscitation. 2009 Sep;80(9):985-9. Epub 2009 Jul 5
