AS SEEN ON TV - OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF CARDIOPULMONARY-RESUSCITATION IN BRITISH TELEVISION MEDICAL DRAMAS

Objective: To determine the frequency and accuracy with which cardiopu lmonary resuscitation is portrayed in British television medical drama s. design: Observational study. Subjects: 64 episodes of three major B ritish television medical dramas: Casualty, Cardiac Arrest, and Medics . Main outcome measures: Frequency of cardiopulmonary resuscitation sh own on television; age, sex, and diagnosis of the patients undergoing resuscitation; rate of survival through resuscitation. Results: Overal l 52 patients had a cardiorespiratory arrest on screen and 3 had a res piratory arrest alone, all the arrests occurring in 40 of the 64 episo des. Of the 52 patients having cardiorespiratory arrest, 32 (62%) unde rwent an attempt at cardiopulmonary resuscitation; 8 attempts were suc cessful. Al 3 of the patients having respiratory arrests alone receive d ventilatory support and survived. On 48% of occasions, victims of ca rdiac arrest seemed to be less than 35 years old. Conclusions: Cardior espiratory resuscitation is often depicted in British television medic al dramas. Patients portrayed receiving resuscitation are likely to be in a younger age group than in real life. Though the reasons for resu scitation are more varied and more often associated with trauma than i n reality, the overall success rate is nevertheless realistic. Widespr ead overoptimism of patients for survival after resuscitation cannot n ecessarily be blamed on British television medical dramas.