What is required if resuscitation efforts are attempted on a patient who is dead at the scene?

• A. No documentation is required.
• B. Transport is prohibited.
• C. The resuscitation must be completed on scene regardless.
• D. The efforts must be documented, and the body may be transported if deemed necessary.

Answer: (D)

When resuscitation is attempted on someone who is dead at the scene, you must create a thorough record of what was done. Documenting the resuscitation efforts—what interventions were used, the times they were started and stopped, and the patient’s status at each step—provides a clear, legal, and QA-friendly account of the actions taken.

Transporting the body isn’t automatically required or prohibited. It may be appropriate to transport if a physician needs to pronounce death, if there are policy-based reasons to proceed to a facility for further determination, or if the scene requires formal pronouncement or an investigation. In short, document the efforts, and transport the body if it’s deemed necessary by policy or clinical judgment.