CASE AND COMMENTARY: PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE When Is It Acceptable to Terminate Resuscitation in Prehospital Settings?

Given advances in resuscitation science that bring advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) to prehospital settings, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics must make decisions about whether and when to terminate resuscitation and to transport a patient for whom ACLS is unsuccessful. Protocols for both vary across the United States. This article reviews ethical and scientific features of EMTs’ and paramedics’ decisions to initiate, continue, or terminate resuscitation.