A clinical report issued by the AAP Sections on Surgery, Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and the AAP Committee on Bioethics have highlighted the important considerations to be made regarding do not attempt resuscitation, also known as DNR or DNAR, orders in children and adolescents undergoing anesthesia and surgery.

“The AAP and the American Society of Anesthesiologists have issued guidelines on forgoing life-sustaining medical treatment, issues of informed consent and evaluation and preparation of pediatric patients undergoing anesthesia,” Mary E. Fallat, MD, FAAP, from the department of surgery at the University of Louisville, and colleagues wrote. “None of these policies offer a detailed approach for operative procedures considered for children with an existing DNAR order.”