Up in the Air — Suspending Ethical Medical Practice

To the Editor: Dr. Shaner's main point in his Perspective article (Nov. 18 issue) 1 was that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should not have been continued when several physicians had determined that it would not be successful. Medically, the Aerospace Medical Association agrees. The airline involved was unidentified; therefore, the airline's protocol for possible cardiac death and the adherence of the cabin crew members to it are unclear. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) provides guidelines on this subject, including a recommendation that if there are no signs of life after 30 minutes, CPR should cease. 2 These guidelines were developed after a . . .