Virtual Mentor. October 2008, Volume 10, Number 10: 611-687. Full Issue PDF

October 2008 Contents

Ethics and Neonatal Intensive Care

Ethics Poll

Many marginally viable newborns are resuscitated to give them a chance at life with the understanding that the decision to withdraw or continue life-sustaining treatment will be based on how they respond in the first few hours or days. Which of the following best describes your opinion on how decisions to continue or withdraw treatment should be made for newborns who do poorly on the trial intervention and for whom physicians predict devastating neurological impairment?
The medical staff should do everything possible to keep every newborn alive, no matter what (the sanctity-of-life rule.)
The decision should consider the quality of life the newborn will have if it survives, on the belief that living with devastating neurological deficits can be worse than not living at all.
Parents alone should decide one way or the other because they will have to live with the consequences.

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From the Editor

Ethically Responsible Use of NICU Capabilities
Laura Vricella
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:613-615.

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Physician and Parental Decision Making in Newborn Resuscitation
Commentary by Eric C. Eichenwald, Frank A. Chervenak, and Laurence B. McCullough
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:616-624.

Can Rule-Based Ethics Help in the NICU?
Commentary by Steven R. Leuthner and J.M. Lorenz
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:625-634.

Reframing Neutral Counseling
Commentary by Anne Drapkin Lyerly
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:635-639.

Medical Education

A Nonpaternalist Approach to Counseling Patients with Extremely Premature Delivery
Patrick Catalano and Katherine Singh
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:640-642.

Journal Discussion

A Bias Observed? Janvier’s Claim of Prejudice against Premature Infants
Patrick M. Jones
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:643-646.

Clinical Pearl

Complications Associated with Premature Birth
Tara M. Randis
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:647-650.

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Unilateral Termination of Life-Sustaining Treatment in Neonatal Care: A Legal Overview
Jonathan Rohde
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:651-654.

Policy Forum

The Cost of Saving the Tiniest Lives: NICUs versus Prevention
Jonathan Muraskas and Kayhan Parsi
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:655-658.

Jumping to Premature Conclusions
Annie Janvier
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:659-664.

Medicine and Society

Resuscitating the Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Infant: Humanitarianism or Hubris?
Patrick M. Jones and Brian S. Carter
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:665-669.

History, Art, and Narrative

Medical Narratives

Physician Self-Disclosure and Patient Counseling
Judette Louis
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:670-672.

Op-Ed and Correspondence

Op-Ed

Medical Decision Making for the Marginally Viable Infant
Ferdinand D. Yates Jr.
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:673-676.

Resources

Suggested Readings and Resources
PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:677-684.

About the Contributors
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:685-687.