Cardiac patients who flatline will not be taken to area hospitals for further care, according to a new directive handed down as the city battles the rise in coronavirus cases.
The new orders from the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York City say that “no adult non-traumatic or blunt traumatic cardiac arrest is to be transported to a hospital with manual or mechanical compressions in progress" unless the person’s heart restarts at the scene.
The council — which sets policies followed by private and government EMS crews in the five boroughs — issued the order to free up emergency room space for the continuing onslaught of COVID-19 cases.
“In the event a resuscitation is terminated, and the body is in public view, the body can be left in the custody of the NYPD,” the directive notes.
Traditionally, EMTs responding to cardiac cases rush their patients to the hospital to continue resuscitation efforts even when the patient has died.