The Harms of CPR (2023)
The New Yorker article examines the often-overlooked physical harms of CPR, including broken ribs and internal injuries, questioning its routine use in cardiac arrest, especially for elderly or terminally ill patients with low chances of meaningful recovery.
Background
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the emergency procedure of manually pumping a patient's heart and forcing air into their lungs after cardiac arrest. While it is widely portrayed in TV and movies as a clean, often successful intervention, the reality is far more violent and less effective. Most patients who receive CPR do not survive to hospital discharge, and those who do often suffer broken ribs, punctured lungs, internal bleeding, and lasting neurological damage. The article examines the gap between the public's heroic image of CPR and the traumatic, low-success reality — and questions whether patients and families are fully informed of these trade-offs before the procedure is performed.