Published on: February 25, 2016

“Like a midwife slapping life into a newborn baby, doctors now try to punch death out of a dying patient”, says Dr Jessica Zitter in her article “A code of death for dying patients” in the New York Times.

As a resuscitation enthusiast myself, I am sure of its great value – particularly in young people and in salvageable situations. But the present trend of “code blu”ing every dying elderly person makes me sad. We have allowed science to run away with itself. As Dr Zitter says, just as there is a “code blue” system, there should be a code of death – one with some respect and compassion to the person and family.