[Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: discrepancy between the actual cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the documentation in the medical record] / Ressuscitação cardiopulmonar: discrepância entre o procedimento de ressuscitação e o registro no prontuário.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of the patients not resuscitated in a university affiliated pediatric hospital. To characterize the data registered in the chart regarding the resuscitation and evaluate ethical and legal aspects of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). METHODS: Retrospective study of 176 deaths that occurred in a one year time period. The chart was reviewed and compared to information received directly from the physician that participated in the patientacute;s resuscitation. Ethical and legal aspects involved in resuscitation efforts were discussed. RESULTS: During the study period 176 deaths occurred. 47 (26.7%) patients did not receive CPR as reported directly by the physician in charge of the patient when the dead occurred. Two patients were excluded, because the chart could not be found. Prior to their death, 64.4% (29/45) received mechanical ventilatory support and 48.5% (33/45) received inotropic support. 60% (27/45) of the deaths occurred in the intensive care unit. The most common diagnoses at admission were sepsis in 28% (13/45) and pneumonia with respiratory failure in 27% (12/45). The most common underlying medical conditions were malignancies in 28.8% (13/45). Of these 45 patients, the medical record about CPR was available in 40 charts. It was documented that 11/40 (27.5%) were declared dead without resuscitation efforts and in 29/40 (72.5%) the medical record stated that CPR was performed without improvement in vital signs. CONCLUSION: There was a discrepancy between the actual cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts and the documentation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the medical record. This behavior may be due to fear of possible legal consequences of not performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, in patients with very poor prognosis it may be ethically justified to withhold CPR.

[Ethical and legal aspects at the emergency department] / Aspectos éticos e legais na emergência.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss ethical and legal aspects of physicians attitudes in emergency departments under the light of Brazils codes and laws.METHODS: The authors raise questions based upon case reports and comment using the medical ethical code, laws that protect children and adolescents, hospitalized children and adolescents rights statement and medical federal council decisions.RESULTS: The authors discuss child patients' rights and the parents disclosure right; the problem of domestic violence and abuse and the physician duty to denunciate this kind of practice for the child security and protection; the medical responsability even under workplace adverse conditions, as well as the concerns related to transportation of patients to another hospital; the dilemma between withholding and withdrawing life support measures at the emergency department and the prohibition to certificate death in violent death situations; the autonomy and decision-making capa-city of adolescent patients and their limitations, including violation of confidentiality.CONCLUSIONS: The commentaries presented in the article try to explain to the pediatrician how to identify ethical and legal conflicts in the emergency department and to prepare him (her) to assume attitudes based on codes and legal statements, as well as to respect the patient's rights.