In dubio pro CPR? The Controversial Status of ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ Imprints on the Human Body – a Swiss Innovation

Abstract

Abstract ‘Do not resuscitate’ (DNR) imprints on the human body have recently appeared in medical practice. These non-standard DNR orders (e.g., tattoos, stamps, patches) convey the patient’s refusal of resuscitation efforts should he be incapable of doing so. The article focuses on such innovative tools to express one’s end-of-life wishes. Switzerland provides a unique example, as ‘No Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation’ stamps and patches have been commercialised. The article discusses the challenging legal questions as to the validity of non-standard DNR orders imprinted on the human body. It analyses the obligation of healthcare providers to honour such orders, either as an advance directive or an expression of an individual’s presumed wishes, and withhold treatment. Finally, the article addresses the balancing of interests between the presumed wishes of an unconscious patient and his best interests of being resuscitated and potentially staying alive, a dilemma facing healthcare providers in a medical emergency.