Characteristics related to DNR orders for pediatric ICU patients.

Although technology exists to sustain vital functions of almost any patient, not every pulse-less patient is a candidate for resuscitation. Criteria needs to be developed to guide health care professionals in identifying DNR situations and teaching families about DNR options. The first step is to identify characteristics that are related to current DNR selection, so prescriptive criteria can be developed to aid in DNR decisions in the future. This article presents a descriptive study of characteristics associated with DNR statistics for pediatric ICU patients.