Doctor's new tat: 'Do not resuscitate'

"I've done many, many resuscitations and the ones that survive that are OK without any problems are a very small percentage, probably not more than six per cent," he said.

"If I have a cardiac arrest, it's due to something being wrong. It's due to a disease or a disorder. Rarely is it accidental, except like in electric shock.

"Unless I was in an emergency room with a monitor and a defibrillator immediately available, the results would probably not be good."

Dr Cutter, who works as a GP locum in the Newcastle area, said although he wasn't usually an advocate of tattooing, he wanted to make his wishes about resuscitation clearly known.

"In most cases, when you have any cardiac or respiratory arrest, you're unconscious and so you can't convey your wishes to anyone," he said.

"Many people state it in their will or testament that they would not want to be resuscitated but in usual cases where it occurs, that information's not available."

Without a clear directive – such as his tattoo – Dr Cutter said he feared ending up paralysed and conscious, but unable to express his desires about resuscitation.

"The other thing is if I was brain dead ... I wouldn't want to be a drag on society," Dr Cutter said.

"In other words, in keeping a body alive, I think it's a waste of time and money."

Dr Cutter has lived in Australia since 1981 after working as an emergency medicine specialist in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Reno.

He came to Australia after suffering burn out following a decade working in LA.

"After 10 years ... I got tired of packing a .38 in my shoulder holster and came over here where I don't have to," he said.

Despite the gravity of his tattoo message, the octogenarian hasn't lost his sense of humour.

"It'd be my luck that they wouldn't open my shirt ... before commencing CPR," he quipped.

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