Decisions about CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency treatment to try and restart the heart and breathing after they’ve stopped.

CPR helps in some situations but does not work for everyone.

Your doctor or nurse will talk about CPR with you if they think a decision about this treatment is important for you. You can find out more about what CPR means for you by asking them.

Talking about what matters to you is important when you’re making decisions about CPR with your care team. It’s a good idea to involve people close to you as well. Talking about CPR helps people get better care. When decisions about CPR can be made in advance, everyone knows what to do.

Talking about CPR may be part of future care planning for some people.

Will CPR work?

CPR does not work when a person is in very poor health or is dying. Planning good care with the person and their family, and giving treatments that do help are the best things to do.

CPR may work but it can leave a person in much poorer health if they have some underlying health conditions. Everyone is different. Your doctor or nurse can talk with you about your health conditions and what might happen.

Some people choose not to have CPR even if it may work for them. If you think this decision might be right for you, you can ask your doctor or nurse about it.

Making and recording do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) plans

If CPR will not work for you, or if you do not want CPR, then your doctor or nurse can record that information as a DNACPR plan on a special paper DNACPR form and in your electronic health records. They will talk with you about this and can speak with your family or anyone else close to you if you wish.

If you’re unable to take part in these discussions for any reason, your care team will do their best to contact anyone you have named in a welfare Power of Attorney or who is a legal proxy for you. They will try and speak with your family too. If you get better, they will talk with you as soon as they can.

Sometimes a person gets seriously ill but no decision about CPR has been made in advance. If the person’s heart and breathing stop, the staff caring for them need to make a clinical decision about whether CPR treatment will work or not.

DNACPR plans are recorded and shared with health and care staff so they know how to give you the right treatment and care. Any plans for your care can be reviewed and updated whenever that is needed.

Read Cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions: information for patients, relatives and carers