A patient’s death prompts a doctor to assess ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders

March 11, 2010

The emergency department is always noisy, but sudden screams from a staffer still get attention. The triage nurse is yelling, “Not breathing, had vitals at triage and just croaked,” as she runs toward us pushing a wheelchair. In it, a pale, thin man is slumped over and looking gray. I’m the attending physician in charge. Amid the usual strokes, heart attacks and bleeding ulcers, my day just became interesting. (Washington Post)