On TV it always seems clear and simple. A patient in the hospital goes into cardiac arrest and the medical team springs into action. After a few tense moments of furious activity, and only after all seems lost, the patient is successfully revived. A few scenes later the smiling and now fully healthy patient thanks the doctor and returns to his or her life as a professional athlete, parent of young children, or criminal mastermind.
Medical professionals know that in real life this is rarely the way it goes. Most patients who undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are old, frail, and very sick. Many will die and many who survive CPR will die anyway before leaving the hospital. And many survivors will have severe neurological problems
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