Starting resuscitation is always the best idea

I WOULD like to clarify some points which were incorrectly stated in the article entitled “Terminal illness: what doctors don’t tell you”, (The Star, February 15).

It is important that readers understand this to be an opinion piece with little or no proven scientific fact to support many of the statements which were made.

My particular concern centres on the assertions involving resuscitation and specifically CPR.

It should be noted that the success rate of pre-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation is currently 6.4 percent and not 2 percent as stated in the article.

In addition, some studies in recent years have found resuscitation success rates of up to 40 percent with the use of different techniques and algorithms.

Furthermore, there is no scientific basis whatsoever to state that correctly done CPR should or will result in broken ribs.

Like any medical procedure, CPR carries with it risks which include the possibility of fractures; however, this should never be the aim of a rescuer nor is this taught as a goal to perform effective CPR.

The message of the article is that many interventions on dying patients are considered to be “futile care”.

While this may be the case in certain circumstances, it is not always so.

The concern with the message here is that it may discourage bystanders and laypeople from starting CPR when this may be lifesaving.

Given the disease burden in SA, we should be encouraging the public and health-care providers to commence CPR and other resuscitation techniques whenever appropriate.

We strongly encourage your readers to learn CPR and I would ask that they visit our website at www.resusci tationcouncil.co.za for further details in this regard. Honorary secretary Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa