Doctors Unsure Whether To Resuscitate Unresponsive Man With "Do Not Resuscitate" Tattoo

December 1, 2017 Keegs

(CNN) Picture this: A man is admitted to the hospital, unconscious, with a history of serious health problems and a high blood alcohol level. He has no identification and no family with him. On his chest, he has a tattoo: "Do Not Resuscitate."

What would you do?

It sounds like a worst-case-scenario question from a medical ethics course, but it really happened recently at a Florida hospital. A newly published study in The New England Journal of Medicine explored the ethical and medical conundrums the staff faced when presented with a 70-year-old patient whose denial of potentially life-saving treatment was right there on his skin.

Ultimately, a do not resuscitate order was issued, and the man died. The authors of the study said they were "relieved to find his written DNR request," but the initial confusion over the tattoo brought up a curious issue that has been debated in the medical community on several occasions.

Full article here.

This is a real "that'll never happen" situation that, well, happened. I guarantee that one of these doctors said, "Good thing we haven't had an ethical dilemma today" before this guy got rolled in with a fucking "Do Not Resuscitate" tattoo scrawled across his chest.

This is a tough place to be because this could go either of two ways. One, you let this guy die because of his chest tattoo, and you bank on the fact that he didn't have a rough night in a Cabo tattoo parlor fifteen years ago. Two, you let this guy wake up and suddenly you've got to face the wrath of a guy who had "Do Not Resuscitate" tattooed on his chest. Honestly, when you think about it that way, seems like it was a pretty good call to let the guy choke! I mean the fact that he had the foresight to include the signature too, impressive! That's a guy who knew he'd probably make it to the hospital unresponsive. Hey, if you're going to do it, ya might as well be self aware about it! Also shows a little bit of self awareness to live in Florida: the one fucking state where they'd let this go down.