Cost/Benefit Analysis of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A History of CPR Part – I

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is used in most US hospitals on all who suffer cardiopulmonary arrest, regardless of the underlying disease process, unless there is a Do Not Resuscitate order. For over 25 years, CPR has been viewed as a life-saving maneuver that should be available to all hospital patients. While resuscitation programs have grown, routine cost versus benefit analyses have not yet been conducted. Basic and advanced cardiac life support training classes have improved the technique of CPR practitioners in clinical settings, but so far there are no empirical data to suggest that these courses have improved patient outcomes. An examination of the costs of a full cardiopulmonary resuscitation program is important because they are disproportionate to the population served and because only a small percentage of those who receive CPR survive long enough to be discharged from the hospital.