TY - JOUR
T1 - Update on ethical issues in pediatric dialysis
T2 - Has pediatric dialysis become morally obligatory?
AU - Wightman, Aaron G.
AU - Freeman, Michael A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 by the American Society of Nephrology.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Improvements in pediatric dialysis over the past 50 years have made the decision to proceed with dialysis straightforward for the majority of pediatric patients. For certain groups, however, such as children withmultiple comorbid conditions, children and familieswith fewsocial and economic resources, and neonates and infants, the decision of whether to proceedwith dialysis remainsmuchmore controversial. In this review, we will examine the best available data regarding the outcomes of dialysis in these populations and analyze the important ethical considerations that should guide decisions regarding dialysis for these patients.We conclude that providers must continue to follow a nuanced and individualized approach in decisionmaking for each child and to recognize that, regardless of the decision reached about dialysis, there is a continued duty to care for patients and families to maximize the remaining quality of their lives.
AB - Improvements in pediatric dialysis over the past 50 years have made the decision to proceed with dialysis straightforward for the majority of pediatric patients. For certain groups, however, such as children withmultiple comorbid conditions, children and familieswith fewsocial and economic resources, and neonates and infants, the decision of whether to proceedwith dialysis remainsmuchmore controversial. In this review, we will examine the best available data regarding the outcomes of dialysis in these populations and analyze the important ethical considerations that should guide decisions regarding dialysis for these patients.We conclude that providers must continue to follow a nuanced and individualized approach in decisionmaking for each child and to recognize that, regardless of the decision reached about dialysis, there is a continued duty to care for patients and families to maximize the remaining quality of their lives.
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U2 - 10.2215/CJN.12741215
DO - 10.2215/CJN.12741215
M3 - Article
C2 - 27037272
AN - SCOPUS:85014474235
SN - 1555-9041
VL - 11
SP - 1456
EP - 1462
JO - Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
JF - Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
IS - 8
ER -