Ethical controversies in pediatric critical care

Ethical dilemmas in clinical practice frequently center around who should make decisions for the patient, and what common principles can be used in making those decisions. In pediatrics, these dilemmas are complicated by balancing the interests of the child with the rights of parents and the responsibilities of clinicians. Other sources of controversy in caring for the pediatric population concern the confusion that continues around such issues as informed assent, the present standing of the "Baby Doe" regulations, and the forgoing of life-sustaining treatments. This article discusses the framework for decision-making in children that has evolved in ethics and the law over the last several decades.