Imagine the dilemma : You ’re about to resuscitate a dying man , but when you peel back his shirt , you see a sheer black tattoo pronounce ” DO NOT revive ” . The give-and-take “ not ” is underlined and his touch is below the final give-and-take . Do you consider the tattoo a veridical medical warning ? Or just a dark - humored joke ?
That ’s what happen to Dr Gregory Holt at Miami ’s Jackson Memorial Hospital . In a case study forThe New England Journal of Medicine , he explained how they handled the experience , along with the richness of ethical quandary and mental confusion stimulate by the man ’s choice of body art .
The 70 - twelvemonth - old man was bring to the infirmary unconscious , heavy uplift with intoxicant , and with pretermit pedigree pressure . They apace discovered the valet de chambre ’s tattoo , but ab initio resolve to ignore it . A"Do Not Resuscitate " ( DNR ) tattoo is not a legally - bind text file after all . In Florida , you may only request to not be come to if you have signed flurry Not Resuscitate Order – Form 1896on a piece of yellow paper ( they are very special about the yellow newspaper flake ) .
Stuck with this quandary , they call for an ethics consultation with some experts on the matter . The consultants debate it was “ sane to infer that the tattoo give tongue to an authentic preference . ” Fortunately , the spot was quickly settled when they obtain an official copy of his Florida Department of Health DNR rescript .
The man died later that evening , as per his wish .
The doctor behind the case say the story highlights how DNR tattoos can put medical professionals in a very sticky site , although they note that their report " neither supports nor opposes the consumption of tattoos to express end - of - biography wish . " However , they do say that it is much more efficient to just ratify the appropriate bod if this really is a affected role ’s lawful request .
“ This patient role ’s tattooed DNR request produced more confusion than clarity , given concerns about its legality and in all probability unfounded beliefs that tattoos might represent permanent reminders of rue decisions made while the person was intoxicated , ” Dr Holt explicate .
Their decision to not follow the tattoo ’s orders without further investigation was well - plant . In 2012 , theJournal of General Internal Medicinereported that a team of doctors were placed in a similar position when a physical examination reveal a “ D.N.R. ” tattoo on the homo ’s bureau . In this case , they decide to brush aside the tattoo and resuscitate him . That was a pretty salutary call considering this guy wire had only received the tattoo because he had lost a stakes in a poker game with friends .
