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> > Be VERY careful with this. The living will is meant to apply only > if you have a terminal illness; some medical personnel have > interpreted What medical personnel interpret is of no consequence. My point was that the order *must* be written by a physician for a 'no code' status, and that can only be done with the permission of the family. > them to mean the patient does not want resuscitation under any > circumstances. This has resulted in deaths of patients who were not > terminally ill. I've had health professionals review a family > member's living will and > ask whether the person "doesn't want to be resuscitated." I've > reminded > them that this applies only if the patient has a terminal illness > (e.g. > terminal cancer, or the like), which the family member doesn't. > I'd advise making sure the health care professionals understand the > living will's purpose. Medical professionals are very aware of the purpose of a living will. > A patient does not have to be terminal to have a no-code status. Many elderly request such an order because they wish to die peacefully in the event of full cardiac arrest. Incidently, the possibility of successfully being resuscitated after the age of 85 is 1% - and a recent study showed that those people never left the hospital, but eventually died in intensive care. ----- Regards Mary Ann