The Ethics of Surgery: Conflicts and Controversies

Abstract

Compendium of articles from recent surgical literature that address ethical issues chosen by surgeons. Cover; The Ethics of Surgery; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Contributors; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Section 1: The Problem of Surgical Ethics; 1 Ethics Gap in Surgery; 2 Ethics in Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Survey of Surgeons' Views; Section 2: Professional Integrity; 3 Deceiving Insurance Companies: New Expression of an Ancient Tradition; 4 Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Resident: End of Residency, End of Career?; 5 Must Surgeons Tell Mitral Valve Repair Candidates About a New Percutaneous Repair Device That Is Only Available Elsewhere? 6 The Surgeon's Work in Transition: Should Surgeons Spend More Time Outside the Hospital?7 Should Sleep-Deprived Surgeons Be Prohibited from Operating Without Patients' Consent?; 8 Are Thoracic Surgeons Ethically Obligated to Serve as Expert Witnesses for the Plaintiff?; Section 3: Relationships with Patients-Autonomy and Consent; 9 Should a Jehovah's Witness Patient Who Faces Imminent Exsanguination Be Transfused?; 10 No Heroic Measures: How Soon Is Too Soon to Stop?; 11 Should Surgical Errors Always Be Disclosed to the Patient?; 12 Another Surgeon's Error: Must You Tell the Patient? 13 Impending Loss of Insurance Coverage Is an Indication to Proceed with Complex, Expensive Surgery14 Ethical Obligation of Surgeons to Noncompliant Patients: Can a Surgeon Refuse to Operate on an Intravenous Drug-Abusing Patient with Recurrent Aortic Valve Prosthesis Infection?; Section 4: Innovation and Uses of Technology; 15 Surgical Innovation: Too Risky to Remain Unregulated?; 16 Who Should Adopt Robotic Surgery and When?; 17 Should Access to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Be Limited to High-Volume Surgical Centers? 18 Should the Use of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Be Rationed?Section 5: Organ Donation and Transplantation; 19 Heart Donation Without the Dead-Donor Rule; 20 Saving Lives Is More Important Than Abstract Moral Concerns: Financial Incentives Should Be Used to Increase Organ Donation; 21 Prisoners on Death Row Should Be Accepted as Organ Donors; Section 6: Conflicts of Interest in Surgery; 22 Politely Refuse the Pen and Note Pad: Gifts From Industry to Physicians Harm Patients; 23 Should the Financial Link Between Industry and Physician Consultants Be Severed? 24 Full Disclosure-Should Presentations and Publications Include Dollar Amounts and Duration of Surgeon-Industry Relationships?Section 7: Ethical Issues in Health-Care Policy; 25 Medical Ethics Collides with Public Policy: LVAD for a Patient With Leukemia; 26 Should Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Be Regionalized?; 27 A Clash of Rights: Should Smoking Tobacco Products in Public Places Be Legally Banned?; 28 Should a Medical Center Deny Employment to a Physician Because He Smokes Tobacco Products?; Index