Is CPR on TV too good to be true?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on television. Miracles and misinformation
Doctors binge-watched ER and other TV dramas and found CPR works far more often on TV than in real life.
Three doctors watched a full season of ER and Chicago Hope plus 50 episodes of Rescue 911, logging every time a character needed CPR, who they were and what happened next.
Of 60 CPR scenes, 75% of patients survived the moment and 67% appeared to go home — far better than real-world odds. The authors suggest doctors bear this in mind, because many people’s ideas about CPR come from the telly.
On TV, everyone gets a happy ending. Real hospitals need the script notes.