WebMD article: DNR Orders May Affect Surgical Outcomes (note: article source Archives of Surgery media release)

"If someone says, 'If my heart stops, I don't want it to be restarted,' that is one thing, but if they say something broad like, 'I don't want you to use extreme measures,' What do extreme measures mean? I think that is fuzzier," says Roman.
"It is important to have the conversation in more detail between physician and patient," says Roman. "So physicians can understand their patients' wishes better, and the patient understands the risks and outcomes better by knowing what to expect if certain things happen.".....

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SOURCES:
Roman, S. Archives of Surgery, April 18, 2011, advance online edition.
Clarence Braddock, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and associate dean for medical education, Stanford School of Medicine; director of clinical ethics, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.
J. Randall Curtis, MD, MPH, section head of pulmonary and critical care medicine, Harborview Medical Center; professor of medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.
News release, American Medical Association.

abstract:
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High Mortality in Surgical Patients With Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders
Analysis of 8256 Patients