Ethical Dilemmas for Critically Ill Babies (International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine Book 65)

Most neonates who now survive intensive care would have died 50 years ago, and â#x80;natureâ#x80;#x9D; would have decided the outcomes, making ethical discussions about initiating or withholding resuscitation irrelevant. Medical developments in neonatology have changed the way we respond to diseases of neonates, to their illness, and to their parents. Not only as physicians, but also as a society. Decisions on when to start, withhold, or withdraw life-saving interventions in critically ill neonates are among the most difficult decisions in pediatric practice. These decisions are fraught with ethical dilemmas, for example deciding whether withholding intensive care â#x80;#x93;leading to death- is superior to uncertain survival with a risk of disability and the additional burden of intensive care. This book covers important ethical questions that arise in neonatal intensive care units. Questions such as, whether to intervene medically and whether we are good at predicting the outcome of fragile neonates; whether a medical intervention should be withheld or withdrawn, and who should be primarily responsible for these decisions and how? Most neonates who now survive intensive care would have died 50 years ago, and â#x80;natureâ#x80;#x9D; would have decided the outcomes, making ethical discussions about initiating or withholding resuscitation irrelevant. Medical developments in neonatology have changed the way we respond to diseases of neonates, to their illness, and to their parents. Not only as physicians, but also as a society. Decisions on when to start, withhold, or withdraw life-saving interventions in critically ill neonates are among the most difficult decisions in pediatric practice. These decisions are fraught with ethical dilemmas, for example deciding whether withholding intensive care â#x80;#x93;leading to death- is superior to uncertain survival with a risk of disability and the additional burden of intensive care. This book covers important ethical questions that arise in neonatal intensive care units. Questions such as, whether to intervene medically and whether we are good at predicting the outcome of fragile neonates; whether a medical intervention should be withheld or withdrawn, and who should be primarily responsible for these decisions and how? Most neonates who now survive intensive care would have died 50 years ago, and ĺlnatureĺl would have decided the outcomes, making ethical discussions about initiating or withholding resuscitation irrelevant. Medical developments in neonatology have changed the way we respond to diseases of neonates, to their illness, and to their parents. Not only as physicians, but also as a society. Decisions on when to start, withhold, or withdraw life-saving interventions in critically ill neonates are among the most difficult decisions in pediatric practice. These decisions are fraught with ethical dilemmas, for example deciding whether withholding intensive care ĺlleading to death- is superior to uncertain survival with a risk of disability and the additional burden of intensive care. This book covers important ethical questions℗lthat arise in℗lneonatal intensive care units.℗lQuestions such as, whether to intervene medically and whether we are good at predicting the outcome of fragile neonates; whether a medical intervention should be withheld or withdrawn, and who should be primarily responsible for these decisions and how? Most neonates who now survive intensive care would have died 50 years ago, and znaturey would have decided the outcomes, making ethical discussions about initiating or withholding resuscitation irrelevant. Medical developments in neonatology have changed the way we respond to diseases of neonates, to their illness, and to their parents. Not only as physicians, but also as a society. Decisions on when to start, withhold, or withdraw life-saving interventions in critically ill neonates are among the most difficult decisions in pediatric practice. These decisions are fraught with ethical dilemmas, for example deciding whether withholding intensive care -leading to death- is superior to uncertain survival with a risk of disability and the additional burden of intensive care. This book covers important ethical questions that arise in neonatal intensive care units. Questions such as, whether to intervene medically and whether we are good at predicting the outcome of fragile neonates; whether a medical intervention should be withheld or withdrawn, and who should be primarily responsible for these decisions and how? Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-3 How Babies Die and Why This Is Important to Clinicians, Researchers, and Parents....Pages 5-11 When Do We Become a Person and Why Should It Matter to Pediatricians?....Pages 13-24 Neonates Are Devalued Compared to Older Patients....Pages 25-33 Who Makes It to the NICU? The Association Between Prenatal Decisions and Neonatal Outcomes....Pages 35-42 Termination of Pregnancy and Perinatal Palliative Care in the Case of Fetal Anomaly: Why Is There so Much Incoherence?....Pages 43-50 Predicting Outcomes in the Very Preterm Infant....Pages 51-60 Predicting the Future of Preterm Infants: Should We Use Quality of Life and Social Determinants Criteria?....Pages 61-65 End-of-Life Decisions in Neonatology from a Children’s Rights Perspective: Dutch Developments Examined....Pages 67-79 The Lure of Technology: Considerations in Newborns with Technology-Dependence....Pages 81-91 Making Tough Ethical Choices in a Morally Pluralistic World....Pages 93-96