The 2025 AHA Guidelines have ignited a powerful, emotional conversation inside EMS and hospital systems. In this eye-opening episode, Ed Bauter, Dan Schwester, and Dr. Mike DeFilippo confront a controversial but crucial question:

 Are we performing CPR on people we know will not benefit—and is that causing more suffering than saving?

With new evidence, emerging ethical dilemmas, and shifting expectations around end-of-life care, this episode forces us to examine long-held assumptions and look at CPR through a more honest, patient-centered lens.

 Link to the official AHA 2025 summary:
https://cpr.heart.org/-/media/CPR-Files/2025-documents-for-cpr-heart-edits-posting/Resuscitation-Science/252500_Hghlghts_2025ECCGuidelines.pdf?sc_lang=en

 Key Insights You Don’t Want to Miss

• CPR is not universally life-saving—and often causes devastating harm in the wrong populations.





• Ethical medicine requires avoiding meaningless interventions that prolong suffering.





• Patients with severe dementia, frailty, terminal illness, or irreversible decline see almost no benefit from CPR.





• Age, cognitive status, and functional baseline must influence our decisions.





• The culture of “CPR for everyone” is being replaced by evidence-driven, compassionate care.





• EMS providers must balance clinical realism with patient autonomy and dignity.





• The new AHA updates demand a dramatic shift in how clinicians communicate and act during cardiac arrest.

If this conversation challenged your thinking, share it with a colleague.
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