TV dramas may raise false hope of surviving heart attack

Medical dramas on television, which may show survival rates from cardiopulmonary resuscitation 2-6 times higher than those in any reported study, are raising false expectations among relatives of a patient's chances of survival.

In an attempt not to raise false hope, doctors should discuss the reality and enquire about expectations of families, say the authors of a study that reviewed all records of adult cardiopulmonary arrest that occurred between 1997 and 1999 at three main teaching hospitals in Edmonton, Alberta (CMAJ 2002;167:343-8).

There were 247 arrests during the study period. Of the patients whose arrests were witnessed, nearly half were able to …