provides a fascinating window into the complex issue of use of the principle of medical futility in critical care practice. The editors constructed three cases, designed to range from a patient likely to benefit from the therapy we call 'intensive care' to a patient for whom this therapy would provide no benefit and therefore could be considered medically futile. They then identified critical c...

Religious faith and medicine combine harmoniously in Buddhist views, each in its own way helping Buddhists enjoy a more fruitful existence. Health care providers need to understand the spiritual needs of patients in order to provide better care, especially for the terminally ill. Using a recently reported case to guide the reader, this paper examines the issue of medical futility from a Buddhis...

It has been argued extensively that diagnostic services are a general good, but that it is offered in excess. So what is the problem? Is not "too much of a good thing wonderful", to paraphrase Mae West? This article explores such a possibility in the field of radiological services where it is argued that more than 40% of the examinations are excessive. The question of whether radiological exami...

BACKGROUND Creatine and minocycline were prioritized for testing in Phase II clinical trials based on a systematic evaluation of potentially disease modifying compounds for Parkinson disease (PD). OBJECTIVE To test whether creatine and minocycline alter the course of early PD relative to a predetermined futility threshold for progression of PD in a randomized, double-blind, Phase II futility ...

The irreversible cessation of life may be diffi cult to determine with complete confi dence, particularly in the austere environment of out-of-hospital emergency care. As a result, resuscitation efforts are often initiated and continued by EMS providers, even in circumstances that are likely to be medically futile. In cases of nontraumatic cardiac arrest, few unassailable criteria exist for det...