EN 
ES Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR consists of a set of maneuvers that are used when a person has stopped breathing or the heart has stopped beating, in order to maintain oxygen supply to the lungs and oxygenated blood circulating to vital organs .
CPR is an emergency procedure that saves lives when a situation or health condition occurs that leads to cardiac or respiratory arrest. This can happen after a clinical illness, trauma, electric shock, a coronary infarction or drowning, as well as any other clinical condition that deteriorates the patient's health status.
The objectives of the CPR are: to preserve life, recover health, alleviate suffering, limit the consequences and respect the decisions, rights and privacy of individuals.
Because CPR must be started immediately at the time of the stop, decisions in this situation are made in seconds, by doctors or paramedics who sometimes do not know who the patient is, their health history and previous illnesses, or simply the autonomy or anticipated will of the patient himself not to receive resuscitation.
In the emergency room, when a cardiac arrest arises, it is common for medical personnel to ask relatives to leave or leave the area where resuscitation is performed, since in medical practice in our country, the presence of a family member is still controversial. Resuscitation maneuvers or the performance of any other critical intervention, even though the idea of a family member present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation is supported and supported by various international organizations, such as the American Nurses Association (ENA), the Association American Heart (AHA) and the European Resuscitation Council.
Death is a fundamental part of the nature of the human being, but that does not eliminate fear. The main fears to face it are pain, not being prepared and isolated from their loved ones, so in some countries they consider actively offering the family the opportunity to witness CPR, instead of following the usual practice in the wards emergency, that when the patient's condition worsens, the health personnel asks the relatives to leave the area of attention while they are subjected to procedures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The resuscitation witnessed. The concept of resuscitation witnessed was born in Michigan, city of the United States, in 1984 with conflicting opinions among health personnel, being a current issue that has not been resolved in other countries where the issue is still debated.
In the Dominican Republic there are myths that lead to "an enigmatic medical practice", due to which in some cases the relatives do not know to what extent they can be involved or witness the moment of cardiopulmonary resuscitation of their loved ones.
1. Does the presence of family members interfere with health care activities?
The presence of relatives does not alter the CPR procedure or its results; neither the rate of legal medical claims or claims. Notwithstanding the above, as everything in medicine has its limitations and the results are not always generalizable, especially understanding that our population deserves awareness and education in this regard, as a family member with inappropriate behavior, a patient with injuries Serious or overly hesitant medical staff, without the proper skills to take on the case, could be some exceptions, but should not be the rule.
2. The idea of allowing the presence of family members during CPR
The presence can help the acceptance of fatal results to understand that medical professionals did everything possible to face death and be able to say goodbye, in accordance with the international guidelines of resuscitation that in the section of ethical aspects promote that families are present during CPR.
3. Medical practice in the Dominican Republic
This is not yet a mandatory practice, however, consider involving family members, providing the option to stay if someone wants to stay in the area while the staff performs their work, would be the first step to the integration of a more humanized and participatory medicine .
Published in: Today Digital
