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Discontinuation of Life-Sustaining Therapy in Intensive Care: Ethical and Legal Issues

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Critical Care of Children with Heart Disease

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Abstract

This updated chapter addresses ethically challenging situations that can occur in pediatric intensive care. It begins with an introduction to medical ethics, continues by reviewing key issues in decision-making in pediatrics, and finally considers recent changes in end-of-life care (EOLC). It has taken into account developments in palliative care provision and the growing availability of ethical and other support mechanisms in decision-making, including the greater involvement of children and their families in shared decision-making even in the toughest situations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London, UK

    Pascale du Pré

  2. Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Paris South University Hospitals, Paris, France

    Pierre Tissières

  3. Paediatric Bioethics Centre, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London, UK

    Joe Brierley

Authors
  1. Pascale du Pré
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  2. Pierre Tissières
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  3. Joe Brierley
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joe Brierley .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chief, Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine Executive Director, Telemedicine Co-director, Children’s National Heart Institute, Professor of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC, USA

    Ricardo A. Munoz

  2. Department of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Victor O. Morell

  3. Associate Medical Director, CHCO Heart Institute Head, Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Program & Inpatient Services Director, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Children’s Hospital Colorado, Tenured Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Eduardo M. da Cruz

  4. Department of Pharmacy, Pediatric Critical Care, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Carol G. Vetterly

  5. Department of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, UPMC – Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Jose Pedro da Silva

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du Pré, P., Tissières, P., Brierley, J. (2020). Discontinuation of Life-Sustaining Therapy in Intensive Care: Ethical and Legal Issues. In: Munoz, R., Morell, V., da Cruz, E., Vetterly, C., da Silva, J. (eds) Critical Care of Children with Heart Disease . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21870-6_53

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21870-6_53

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-21869-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-21870-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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