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The widespread publicity surrounding the case of Terri Schiavo may have brought end-of-life issues to the forefront for the general public, but ED managers deal with these challenges on a daily basis. The proper way to treat these extremely ill patients in the ED — whether or not they have a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order — is, like the Schiavo case, hardly cut and dried.

End-of-life decisions can be complex, even when patients have a DNR

The widespread publicity surrounding the case of Terri Schiavo may have brought end-of-life issues to the forefront for the general public, but ED managers deal with these challenges on a daily basis. The proper way to treat these extremely ill patients in the ED whether or not they have a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is, like the Schiavo case, hardly cut and dried.