title: Two infants, same prognosis, different parental preferences.
abstract: A central principle of justice is that similar cases should be decided in similar ways. In pediatrics, however, there are cases in which 2 infants have similar diagnoses and prognoses, but their parents request different treatments. In this Ethics Rounds, we present such a situation that occurred in a single NICU. Three physician-ethicists analyze the issues.
authors.affiliation: Ethics Center and Division of Hospital Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio;
authors.forename: Armand H Matheny
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Antommaria
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, and Palliative Care Fellow, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota;
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Collura
authors.affiliation: Surgery, Mayo Clinic; Rochester, Minnesota;
authors.forename: Ryan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Antiel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri; and Children's Mercy Hospital Bioethics Center, Kansas City, Missouri jlantos@cmh.edu.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lantos
mesh_terms: D026688:Bioethical Issues; D004933:Esophageal Atresia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010290:Parents; D011379:Prognosis; D014138:Tracheoesophageal Fistula / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Amish; ethics; palliative care; religion; tracheoesophageal fistula