The AP reports on problems one major Southeastern hospital chain has with Lance Armstrong's Livestrong bracelets that he sells to fund cancer research. It turns out that the rubber bracelets closely match DNR bracelets used at the hospitals that instruct staff not to resuscitate a patient:

A hospital chain is taping over patients' LiveStrong wristbands because they are yellow — the same color as the "do not resuscitate" bands it puts on patients who do not want to be saved if their heart stops. ...

"It could be confusing, particularly in the situation of a code or a cardiac arrest where people have to think very quickly," said Lisa Johnson, vice president of patient services at Morton Plant Mease Health Care, which is part of the chain. "We wouldn't want to mistake a Lance Armstrong bracelet and not resuscitate someone we're supposed to."

I know cancer kills, but who knew fundraising could be so dangerous? One other disturbing note in the story is that hospitals do not standardize on bracelet colors for such designations. What is meant by yellow at BayCare may be designated with purple at another hospital, and by blue elsewhere.

Moral of the story: don't accessorize while at the hospital.

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