It always makes me feel a little sad when I read posts here that say such negative things about CPR and I do hope that we all understand that there are many times when it is a viable option for many patients.
My husband had been a cardiac patient for many years when at the age of 74 he had a cardiac arrest at home. He had a shocked look on his face, wasn't breathing and was going blue and you didn't need to be an Einstein to know he was in big trouble.
It was just him and me. So what was I supposed to do? Sit there and hold his hand while he died while waiting for the paramedics to arrive? I think not! I couldn't begin to tell you the chaos that was going on inside my head and no one could prepare you for that but I had to do something.
I gave him CPR for 9 minutes until help arrived. After about the first 6 compressions, I heard a huge crack and I knew that I had broken one or more of his ribs. The paramedics used a portable defibrillator on him to get his heart started and then transferred him to hospital. At that stage, the paramedics didn't think he would survive but one of them took the time to tell me that everything I had done was right.
Following his admission to ICU, the Director came and talked to me, explaining that my husband might not wake up, that he might not be able to breath on his own, and a lot of other things. We discussed DNR and he went through all the implications and explained the processes that would be put in place.
CPR has been described as being 'brutal' and it was but my husband was completely out of it and has no memory of the experience. Yes he was bruised and I had broken his ribs but he survived and in spite of now having AD and some other health problems, he is still enjoying life and is glad that I was able to do something to save his life.
By the same token, had he not woken up or been able to breath on his own I would not have had a problem with a DNR.
The survival rate for cardiac arrest patients is greatly increased if someone gives them CPR at the time of the event. So please don't disregard it out of hand. It has its place in our world just as DNR does.