Re: First Aid kit - expiration of items?

"Paul Cooper" <a.paul.r.cooper@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:i8o124hhijscddr24b96rci9u9h0ub2ffk@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Wed, 07 May 2008 00:19:00 +0200, Martin <me@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 06 May 2008 22:04:29 GMT, Paul Cooper 
>><a.paul.r.cooper@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 06 May 2008 23:29:26 +0200, Martin <me@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>So should she have said no?
>>>
>>>Well, it's a good question! CPR has a low likelihood of success (much
>>>less than 50%) despite TV programmes like Casualty, the person on whom
>>>it has done is likely to suffer serious injury (broken bones), and
>>>will STILL be direly ill with a low probability of long term survival.
>>>There are cir***stances where I'd say "no" if I were asked, and I
>>>hoipe my nearest and dearest would have the sense to say "no" for me
>>>if I couldn't.  And I have been in a real situation with a close
>>>relative, where the doctors advised that CPR wasn't a sensible
>>>possibilty; the person concerned was too weak and too ill to have a
>>>significant chance of survival even if CPR was (by a remote chance)
>>>successful.
>>
>>I suspect if you were really asked the same question you would answer: 
>>Yes!
>
> If I knew I was ill with a low probability of long term survival, I
> think I'd rather die with some dignity in the presence of those who
> loved me than being violently man-handled by doctors carrying out a
> procedure that was unlikely to make any long term difference. The
> whole of the Hospice movement is based around that premise. I regret
> to say that I am calling on recent experience in what I say.
>
> Paul

As a physician in Internal  and Geriatric medicine I can provide some 
figures that might be interesting.

CPR survival in coronary care units is about 30%
Outside a monitored unit it is about 2% with 2/3 of surviving patients 
significantly brain injured from anoxia.

The vast majority of patients when asked (and these are all seriously ill
in 
hospital) choose a not-for-resus order. I'd estimate 95%plus.

Peter HK