Responsible surgical innovation and research in maternal-fetal surgery
1Department of General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery, Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Abstract:
The field of maternal-fetal intervention is rapidly evolving with new technologies and innovations. This raises complex ethical and medico-legal challenges related to what constitutes innovative treatment versus human experimentation, with or without the umbrella of "medical research." There exists a gray zone between these black and white classifications, but there are also clear guidelines that should be responsibly negotiated when making the essential transition between an innovative treatment and a validated therapy. This review attempts to define some of the current and future ethical challenges in maternal-fetal research, and to offer constructive insight into how they might be addressed.
