Offering “Faux Codes”
An Ethical Option for the Patient Who Can't Tell Their Family No
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20335439 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Abram Brummett (0000-0003-0511-574X, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 2-6 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Hastings Center Report (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0093-0334 • E-ISSN: 1552-146X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/hast.4969 |
| PMID | 41378709 |
| OpenAlex | W4417231793 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 11 |
Some patients do not want medically appropriate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the end of life but cannot withstand family pressures to request a “full code” status. This essay defends offering these patients a “faux code,” which would involve keeping the patient's status “full code” in the chart, with an unwritten agreement between the patient and the medical team that an effort will be made to withhold CPR at the time of arrest. Objections to faux codes are addressed, and it is concluded that faux codes are an ethically permissible option for some patients at the end of life
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation · Ethical code · Ethical issues · Life Support Care · Medical ethics · Resuscitation Orders · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |