November 6, 2025

Is it ever OK for doctors to 'fake' CPR?

On TV, CPR looks like a miracle: a few light pushes on the chest, a couple of assisted breaths, and the person sputters back to life.

In fact, it can be physically damaging — broken ribs, punctured lungs — and painful. And for patients who are already medically frail, it often fails.

So sometimes, particularly with patients clearly at the end of life, doctors might do something that isn't often discussed outside of medical circles: the slow code. That's when they intentionally move slowly, or don't put as much effort into CPR as would be necessary to revive someone.

On this episode of the podcast, guest host Alex Hogan spoke with Jason Wasserman and Parker Crutchfield about a recent special issue of the journal Bioethics that they edited on the slow code and a related op-ed they wrote for First Opinion. They discussed the ethical conundrum of the slow code, the response to their work from medical professionals, and why it's particularly important to have this conversation now.

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