Physicians' Refusal of Requested Treatment

There is substantial evidence in the literature that attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation in certain categories of patients are invariably futile.

Abstract

The authors report a case involving an infant with severe neurologic\ndeficits and a poor prognosis whose mother insisted that everything possible\nbe done to prolong the child's life. Physicians, supported by the hospital's\nethics committee and legal counsel, agreed that further medical intervention\nwas not in the patient's best interests, and declined to reinstitute\nmechanical ventilation. A hearing in probate court resulted in the child's\ntransfer to another institution where the parent's wishes were accommodated. \nParis, et al. discuss the case as the first time that physicians, even in the\nface of judicial intervention, have refused to provide life-prolonging\ntreatment that they believed would be futile and inhumane for a critically ill\npatient. The court acknowledged that physicians and health facilities cannot\nbe required to provide treatment contrary to conscience. (KIE abstract)