Clinical & Medical Ethics

Introductory Explorations in the Ethics of Neonatal Futility

Post Date: 10/31/2008
Author: 
Ferdinand D. Yates Jr., MD, MA

How should the expectant couple react when they learn that their pregnancy will quickly end with the birth of an extremely premature infant?  These fragile infants – at the margins of viability – demand the extremes of life-sustaining care and typically remain in the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) for months.  After such a prolonged length of time, all involved – infant, family, and doctor – experience the gamut of emotions.  In a world filled with technological prowess and promise, what are parents to expect during t

Podcast Episode: 
100

Length: 10:39
 

Is it Permissibile to Forgo Life-Saving Dialysis?

Post Date: 09/26/2008
Author: 
Robert E. Cranston, MD, MA, FAAN

 The following consultation report is based on a real clinical dilemma that led to a request for an ethics consultation.  Some details have been changed to preserve patient privacy.  The goal of this column is to address ethical dilemmas faced by patients, families and healthcare professionals, offering careful analysis and recommendations that are consistent with biblical standards.  The format and length are intended to simulate an actual consultation report that might appear in a clinical record and are not intended to be an exhaustive discussion of the issues raised.

Podcast Episode: 
97

Length: 12:03
 

Commodities Trading or Gift Exchange: Where will tomorrow’s organ donors come from?

Post Date: 09/19/2008
Author: 
Gregory W. Rutecki, MD

It is a sad, true, and often reprised story; the need for solid organ donations egregiously exceeds the supply. The palpable desperation experienced by those who wait, but also frequently die, has led to a variety of proposals aimed at increasing organ supply. Some of these remedies are just and some are not.

Podcast Episode: 
96

Length: 7:07
 

Is It Permissible to Shut Off this Pacemaker?

Post Date: 04/03/2008
Author: 
Ferdinand D. Yates Jr., MD, MA
Author: 
Robert D. Orr, MD, CM

The following consultation report is based on a real clinical dilemma that led to a request for an ethics consultation.  Some details have been changed to preserve patient privacy.  The goal of this column is to address ethical dilemmas faced by patients, families and healthcare professionals, offering careful analysis and recommendations that are consistent with biblical standards.  The format and length are intended to simulate an actual consultation report that might appear in a clinical record and are not i

Podcast Episode: 
83

Length: 16:59
 

Permissibility to Stop Off-Label Use of Expensive Drug Treatment for Child

Post Date: 03/27/2008
Author: 
Daniel A. Beals, MD

 

Podcast Episode: 
82

Length: 13:03
 

Permissibility to Stop Man's Ventilator on His Request

Post Date: 03/13/2008
Author: 
John T. Dunlop, MD

 

Podcast Episode: 
81

Length: 11:31
 

Christian-Hippocratism, Confidentiality, and Managed Care: a volatile mix

Post Date: 02/15/2008
Author: 
Gregory W. Rutecki, MD

"Whatever in connection with my professional practice or not in connection with it I may see or hear in the lives of my patients which ought not to be spoken abroad, I will not divulge, reckoning that all such should be kept secret."

Podcast Episode: 
78

Length: 8:05