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Evaluation

Scientific Assembly

Track Session

Session: Session 321

Closure or Cluster? Family Presence During Resuscitation in the ED

Wednesday, April 9, 2025
3:45pm – 4:05pm ET
Location: Sandringham/Windsor - 2nd Level
CE: 0.25 CME Credit
End-of-Life Care Recorded Session

    Speaker(s)

  • Brian Q. Gacioch, MD (he/him/his)

    Emergency Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Instructor in Emergency Medicine
    Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School
    Boston, Massachusetts

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

    • Co-Speaker(s)

  • Erica Lash, MD (she/her/hers)

    Emergency Medicine and Palliative Medicine Physician
    Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
    Charlotte, Vermont

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Disclosure(s):
Brian Q. Gacioch, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Erica Lash, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
You're in the middle of a cardiac arrest, and the room is controlled chaos. An experienced ED nurse asks "should we bring in the family?" You don't know how to answer. You've heard of this practice before, but it sounds overwhelming. What will the family think of your efforts? Will it be traumatic for them? For your staff? Will it affect the patient's outcome? What if they see you or your team make a mistake? This session will explore the literature surrounding family presence during resuscitation and describe best practices for this challenging but often meaningful practice.

Learning Objectives:

  • describe the ethical considerations related to family presence during resuscitation
  • contrast the attitudes of clinicians who have experience with family presence during resuscitation and those who do not
  • balance the potential benefits and potential harms to family members who witness the resuscitation of a loved one