title: A better half: the ethics of hemicorporectomy surgery.
abstract: This paper discusses the ethical issues related to hemicorporectomy surgery, a radical procedure that removes the lower half of the body in order to prolong life. The literature on hemicorporectomy (HC), also called translumbar amputation, has been nearly silent on the ethical considerations relevant to this rare procedure. We explore five aspects of the complex landscape of hemicorporectomy to illustrate the broader ethical questions related to this extraordinary procedure: benefits, risks, informed consent, resource allocation and justice, and loss and the lived body.
authors: Alden March Bioethics Institute, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC 153, Albany, NY, 12208, USA, jankowj@mail.amc.edu.
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: Jankowski
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Campo-Engelstein
mesh_terms: D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000941:ethics*; D026688:Bioethical Issues; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008136:Longevity; D065126:Palliative Medicine / Q000941:ethics*; D012935:Social Justice; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D060726:Torso / Q000601:surgery