Ethical Considerations Flashcards

Which of the following conditions is explicitly listed by NRP as one where resuscitation is NOT indicated due to near-certain early death?

Answer: Confirmed anencephaly

Confirmed anencephaly is explicitly identified by NRP as a condition where resuscitation is generally not indicated due to near-certain early death.

During a delivery room resuscitation, a religious leader asks the team to stop resuscitation because it violates family faith traditions. The most appropriate response is:

Answer: Continue resuscitation and consult with the legal guardian (parent) to confirm wishes

Medical decisions during active resuscitation must be confirmed with the legal guardian (parent), not third parties, while respecting the family's values through ongoing communication.

What is the primary purpose of an antenatal counseling session prior to a threatened extremely preterm delivery?

Answer: To prepare families and establish shared goals of care before delivery

Antenatal counseling prepares families emotionally and informationally, and allows collaborative goal-setting before the high-stakes delivery environment.

A neonatologist withholds prognostic information from parents because they believe it will cause unnecessary distress. Which ethical principle does this violate?

Answer: Veracity

Withholding relevant prognostic information violates veracity (truthfulness), which requires honest and complete disclosure to support informed decision-making.

After a failed resuscitation, parents ask the team if they made the right decision to attempt resuscitation. The most ethically appropriate response is:

Answer: Provide honest, compassionate debriefing acknowledging uncertainty and supporting the family

Honest, compassionate debriefing after a failed resuscitation respects the family's need for truth and emotional support while acknowledging clinical uncertainty.

Which of the following best illustrates an ethical conflict between beneficence and autonomy in neonatal resuscitation?

Answer: A team resuscitates a neonate against the family's informed refusal of care

Resuscitating against an informed parental refusal illustrates the tension between acting in the infant's perceived best interest (beneficence) and respecting parental decision-making rights (autonomy).

When an extremely premature neonate survives resuscitation with severe neurological injury, and parents request withdrawal of life support, the care team should:

Answer: Engage in shared decision-making, provide honest prognosis, and support the family's decision if consistent with the infant's best interests

Shared decision-making, honest prognostic disclosure, and support for family decisions consistent with the infant's best interests are the ethical foundations for withdrawal of life support conversations.