The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine

 

Volume 73 Number 3
May 2006		 back to contents
When Parents Request Seemingly Futile Treatment for Their Children 587-589
John Lantos, M.D.

Address all correspondence to John Lantos, M.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago-General, 1101 East 58th Street, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, Chicago, IL 60637.

Presented at Mount Sinai Medical Conference on Pediatric Ethics, January 30, 2004, and updated June 2005.

Abstract

This paper reviews the development of the concept of medical futility, particularly as it applies to pediatrics. It discusses the difference between technical considerations and value considerations in futility determinations, and then breaks down the concept of futility into four components — power, money, trust and hope.

Key Words

End of life, Futility, doctor-patient relationship, power, economics, trust.

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