The legendary rock star and 3-time Grammy winner Tom Petty, 66, has died of cardiac arrest. Petty was reportedly found unconscious in his Malibu home and rushed to the hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator — commonly known as “life support” — in the hope that he would revive. A life support ventilator helps a patient get oxygen until they can recover enough to breath on their own. Petty never turned that corner.
The website TMZ reported that Tom Petty had an DNR order on him, meaning a “do not resuscitate” order. That would be a reason Petty was taken off the life support system after a prolonged period of unresponsiveness. The DNR order was a determination likely made by his family after the hope of recovery faded. The DNR may also have been part of a plan Petty made with his physician prior to the fatal cardiac event. According the Cleveland Clinic: “A ‘do not resuscitate’ (DNR) order indicates that a person — usually with a terminal illness or other serious medical condition — has decided not to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempted in the event his or her heart or breathing stops. In most situations, a DNR order is written by a physician after discussing the burdens and benefits of CPR with the patient or the patient’s surrogate decision maker.”
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