Futile Care
This type of futility occurs when a treatment cannot achieve its intended physiologic goal at all.
Answer: What is physiologic futility?
This newborn had Down syndrome and a serious trachea/esophagus connection.
Answer: Who is Baby Doe?
This principle means respecting a patient’s right to make their own decisions.
Answer: What is autonomy?
Down syndrome + trachea/esophagus problem + parents chose not to continue treatment.
Answer: Baby Doe
Treatment could technically achieve its goal, but the chance of success is extremely low.
Answer: What is quantitative futility?
This baby’s mother requested mechanical ventilation whenever the child developed respiratory distress.
Answer: Who is Baby K?
This principle means acting for the patient’s benefit.
Answer: What is beneficence?
Anencephaly + repeated respiratory distress + mother demanded ventilation.
Answer: Baby K
Treatment achieves its intended goal, but the benefit is considered minimal or insufficient.
Answer: What is qualitative futility?
The Baby Doe case raised concerns about denying medically beneficial treatment to a newborn because of this condition.
Answer: What is disability?
This principle means avoiding or minimizing harm.
Answer: What is nonmaleficence?
86-year-old + anoxic brain injury + ventilator + husband refused withdrawal.
Answer: In re Wanglie
Giving antibiotics to a patient with a viral infection is an example of this type of futility.
Answer: What is physiologic futility?
Baby K’s hospital was required to provide stabilizing treatment under this federal law.
Answer: What is EMTALA?
This principle concerns fairness and equitable treatment.
Answer: What is justice?
Hospitals receiving federal funding cannot deny medically beneficial treatment to disabled newborns because of their disability
Answer: Baby Doe
A patient with an incurable cancer receives a bone marrow transplant with an extremely low chance of success. What type of futility is this?
Answer: What is quantitative futility?
Baby K had this severe congenital condition involving absence of a major portion of the brain.
Answer: What is anencephaly?
Bonus!
Freebie
Physicians believe treatment is futile, but the family disagrees, creating a conflict over who has authority to make the decision.
Answer: In re Wanglie