Main description:

This book provides a detailed guide to the ethical considerations involved when making decisions in surgery. Chapters feature a uniform format, which feature a case that represents a real-life problem, discussion of the medical indications of that issue, the latest available medical solutions, and related ethical considerations. In some cases, more in-depth debate is provided on why a particular decision should or should not be made based-upon ethical principles. Information boxes containing key statements and relevant data in clear easy-to-digest tables facilitates the reader in being able to assimilate the most important points covered in each chapter.

Difficult Decisions in Surgical Ethics: An Evidence-Based Approach is a thorough review of ethical considerations in a range of surgical scenarios encompassing both adult and pediatric topics, training surgical residents, ethical care during a pandemic, critical care, palliative care, sensitivity to religious and ethnic mores, clinical research, and innovation. It is intended to be a vital resource for practicing and trainee surgeons seeking a comprehensive up-to-date resource on ethical topics in surgical practice. The work is part of the Difficult Decisions in Surgery series covering a range of surgical specialties.

Contents:

Preface.- In the Beginning.- Importance of Formal Education in Medical Ethics in the XXIst Century.- What Makes Surgical Ethics Unique?.- Notable Ethical Sugeons.- Communication.- Transparency in Surgery.- Is Informed Consent Truly Informed? And Does It Matter?.- Shared Decision Making. "What would you do in my case, Doctor?".- Obtaining Surgical Consent Under Duress. When Not to Operate?.- Goals of Care Discussions in High Risk Surgery..- When Surgeons and Patients Disagree.- How to Deliver Bad News. A Family Post-mortem.- Surgical Empathy. - Surgical Education.- Teaching Surgical Ethics.- Training Residents: Disclosure to Patients, Communication During Awake Surgery.- Informed Consent of Patients Regarding Trainee Participation.- Can Professionalism be Taught During Residency?.- Autonomy In Residency: the Dual Role of the Academic Surgeon.- Medical Discrepancy/ Medical Error.- Concurrent Operations in Different ORs.- Disclosure of Surgical Errors.- Expert Witness Testifying Against Colleagues.- Cultural / Religious Diversity.- Acceptance of Refusal of Surgery due to Religious or Cultural Reasons.- Is it Inappropriate to use the Word "Death" when obtaining Surgical Consent?.- Bloodless Surgical Strategy for Jehovah's Witness Patients.- Surgery on the Incarcerated Patient.- Surgical Dilemmas in the Adult Patient.- Surgical Buy-in for Major Surgical Procedures.- Ethics of Caeserian Delivery on Maternal Request (CDMR).- Fertility Sparing Surgery Instead of Definitive Cancer Resections.- Ethical Decision-Making in Treatment of Aortic Aneurysms, Elective or Emergent (Ruptured).- Denial of Mechnical Assist Devices/Transplantation Due to Disability, Economics or Social Status.- Surgical Dilemmas in the Pediatric Patient / Family.- Changing Landscape of Surgical Ethics.- Management of Fatal Diseases in the Neonate.- Destination ECMO in the Pediatric Patient. (Pro/Con).- ECMO as a Terminal Event.- Brain death in NICU/PICU.- Ethics of Fetal Interventions for Lethal Anomalies.- Critical Care.- Dealing with Families of Patients with severe Brain Injury: Turning off Support, Organ Donation.- Ethical Dilema when a Mechanical Assist Device is Futile.- Burned Beyond Recognition. Ethics of Care.- Do Not Resuscitate/ Palliative Care/ End of Life.- Peri-Operative DNR: An Ethical Dilema.- Approach to Palliative Surgery at End of Life.- Conflicts with Surrogate Decision Makers and Goals of Care.- Global Surgery.- Medical Missions to Developing Countries (Pro/Con).- Rebuttal: The View From The Lake Tanganyika Floating Clinic.- Why is No Program Training "The Complete Surgical Missionary?".- One Can Make a Difference in National Health Policy. The Transplant Program in China.- Surgical Innovation/ Research.- Ethical Questions of Surgical Trials.- Introducing New Techniques, Technology and Medical Devices.- Uterine Transplantation: More than Saving a Life.