Over the past two decades a societal consensus has developed around the principle that decisions about life-sustaining treatment should be guided by patient self-determination. According to the President's Commission, ...

Lung transplantation has become an established rescue therapy for patients with end-stage disease. The major problem, however, is the shortage of organ donors. Living related donation has been successful in kidney and liver ...

The prolongation of human life, that is devoid of quality, creates significant financial and emotional burdens for patients, families, medical care providers, and society. Healthcare providers acknowledge that there ...

Medical practitioners often feel obligated to use all available procedures to sustain patients' lives. A review of case law indicates, however, that practitioners who abate treatment that is contrary to people's known ...

The authors propose a mathematical model for deciding appropriate use of life-sustaining care, using as an example out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation for chronically ill older persons. Incorporating determinations of ...