New York Issues and Later Rescinds Do-Not-Resuscitate Guideline

Photo Credit: Ben Roffer / Flickr

The state of New York issued guidelines on April 17 that emergency responders not attempt to resuscitate any person in cardiac arrest. After ample criticism from the public and from emergency responders, that guideline has been rescinded.

A New York State Department of Health issued a memo stated the directive was, “necessary during the COVID-19 response to protect the health and safety of EMS providers by limiting their exposure, conserve resources, and ensure optimal use of equipment to save the greatest number of lives.’’

First responders normally attempt to provide 20 minutes of CPR to a patient in cardiac arrest. If the directive were left in place, some first responders might have let people die without making an effort to revive them.

“Our job is to bring patients back to life,” said Oren Barzilay, head of the city union including EMTs and paramedics. “This guideline takes that away from us.”

The New York Department of Health said in a statement that, “... the recommendation of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, and reflected ‎nationally recognized minimum standards. However, they don’t reflect New York’s standards and for that reason DOH Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker has ordered them to be rescinded.”

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