[Life-prolonging treatment--an analysis of two cases].
BACKGROUND
Life-prolonging treatment is associated with many difficult ethical considerations, especially when such treatment is withdrawn.


METHODS
Two cases are presented where life-prolonging treatment played a key part. The two were analyzed by using a 5-point checklist that the Clinical Ethics Committee at Haukeland University Hospital has developed. We were visiting students at a neonatal department and an intensive care unit, we read relevant literature and consulted experienced doctors.


CONCLUSIONS
We saw that well-founded decisions were made for each of the two patients studied; this is in accordance with our experience from hospital departments. We believe that continuous technological advances in medicine require doctors to make more decisions involving ethical considerations now than before, but that they are not necessarily better equipped to do so. There is a need to improve integration of medical ethics in the education of medical students, and for doctors to have more knowledge about existing ethics regulations.
Fattah
Sabina
S
Det medisinsk fakultet, Universitetet i Bergen.
Johnsen
Kathrine Helvig
KH
Norheim
Ole Frithjof
OF
D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000175:diagnosis; D000368:Aged; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000941:ethics; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000941:ethics; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000941:ethics*; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000175:diagnosis; D010819:Physician's Role; D011379:Prognosis; D016414:Resuscitation Orders / Q000941:ethics*; D014314:Trisomy / Q000175:diagnosis