Indications and Contraindications of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Context of Establishing Death by a Paramedic

Recently, the Czech Republic has seen more and more developing trends of increasing the number of paramedic assistance units, particularly in towns with a short time interval of getting to hospital, but often in peripheral areas as well. A problem occurs when the emergency condition of a patient must be treated right at the place and the paramedic assistance crew does not have the same authority as the medical emergency crew. Paramedic assistance units in the Region of South Bohemia can be named as an example. The paramedic does not have to start with cardiopulmonary resuscitation if certain signs of death are present and the injuries are incompatible with life. On the other hand, a doctor can pronounce death and not start cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This thesis titled ?Indications and Contraindications of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Context of Establishing Death by a Paramedic? aims to chart the procedures of paramedics in connection with starting or not starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation directly at the place when death is suspected. The qualitative research concentrates on paramedics of the South Bohemian Medical Emergency Service. The theoretical part introduces medical emergency services, a paramedic, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, death and the ethical issue of death as well as dying, with a large focus on medical law. The thesis established that some paramedics act in a completely opposite way than their competences allow them to do. Furthermore, a complete lack of knowledge regarding the medical law and legislation specifying the competences of paramedics occurred. Therefore I had to establish a hypothesis that paramedics do not always follow their competences in connection with starting or not starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation directly at the place. The thesis indicates that paramedics should be more educated in the area of medical law and well trained in respect of 2011 medical acts. At the same time I believe that paramedics should not only follow their intuition in emergency situations when a doctor is not present