EMT's Get Controversial New Guidelines On Taking Some Patients To The Hospital

With so many New York City hospitals stretched to their limits responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency technicians and paramedics are being given controversial new guidelines on taking cardiac arrest patients to emergency rooms.

The Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York City is responsible for laying out rules for emergency workers. This week it instructed EMTs responding to cases involving someone over 18 to do everything they can on the scene -- but if they can't revive the patient after 20 minutes, they can no longer take the patient to the hospital.

In a statement, the council says the move is meant to protect first responders from even more possible exposure to COVID-19 in enclosed spaces during an ambulance ride to the hospital, as well as easing the burden on emergency rooms.

"In the end, when resuscitation is not successful, the risk of transporting somebody with CPR in progress during this pandemic is greater than the benefit," said Josef Schenker, one of the council's leaders.

But some are afraid of how the public will react to the new rules. Oren Bazilay is president of the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors – F.D.N.Y. – Local 2507. He understands why the new guidance was put into place, but is still concerned about his members having to explain it to a patient's family.

"Imagine, you know, my 20-year-old son for whatever reason stops breathing and after working him up for 20 minutes I have to tell him 'sorry, nothing I can do,' and he says 'okay, let's go to the hospital' and I have to tell him 'no, this is it,'" Bazilay said. "That's not going to sit well with some people."

A 2019 report by the American Heart Association found that even with aid from EMTs and ER doctors, 90 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital still die.