Elderly Woman Dies After Nurse Refuses to Give Her CPR

[Billybob]

A 911 dispatcher pleaded with a nurse at a Bakersfield, Calif., senior living facility to save the life of an elderly woman by giving her CPR, but the nurse said policy did not allow her to, according to a newly released audiotape of the call.

"Is there anybody there that's willing to help this lady and not let her die?" the dispatcher asked in a recording of the 911 call released by the Bakersfield Fire Department.

"Not at this time," the nurse said.

http://news.yahoo.com/elderly-woman-dies-nurse-refuses-182806486.html

 

[ignerntbend]

Could be the result of a DNR signed by the woman or her family.

 

[Billybob]

"Glenwood Gardens released a statement confirming its policy prohibiting employees from performing CPR."

 

[lilboots]

They break a rib or something giving CPR, and they get sued. So companies no longer allow employees to give CPR.

 

[underpar]

So California doesn't have a "Good Samaritan" law on the books? This would release anyone from liability when performing CPR!

 

[been]

wow! Thats sad

 

[Capm_Spaulding]

Need a bit more info to be released before I say that nurse was wrong in what she did. Policies are there for a reason, who knows if CPR would have even saved her, most likely at that age it would have done more harm than good, as well as at 87 she was probably DNR. That dispatcher was annoying and needs another job, she can't bring emotion to that setting, that 87 year old was a patient not someones grandma and you have to make that distinction while you are on the job otherwise it'll tear you in two. I can't believe she told a nurse "if she doesn't get enough air she will die".... who has the degree and who doesn't? Current CPR does not involve mouth to mouth anyways... that dispatcher was too uninformed. At my hospital if one of the nurses tried to resuscitate a dying 87 year old DNR patient knowing it was against policy to perform CPR anyways, she would be fired, her nursing license stripped, and the case sent to the DA for charges. Unless there is more to the story, I say kudos to that nurse for not taking instructions from some uneducated dispatcher.

 

[Capm_Spaulding]

They break a rib or something giving CPR, and they get sued. So companies no longer allow employees to give CPR.

This. Properly performed CPR will break ribs 9/10 times on a healthy 40 year old male, now imagine the damage to an 87 year old female. The nurse made an educated decision, and besides that, company policy made that decision for her anyways, she would had to have broken it to have tried to perform cpr.

 

[mr ed]

welcome to Obamacare! we gots to get rid of them old people thats draining our resources. or didn't you know thats what Obamacare is all about. Do anything to save the 20's something welfare breeding stock and croak the old people.

 

[HMCS(FMF)Ret.]

The lady was 87 years old! Let her go in peace.