Clinical Scenario #4: Ethical Issues

Abstract

In this chapter the essential aspects of ethical issues in relation to periprocedural complications are discussed. The chapter begins with a mock scenario of a patient with multiple serious comorbidities requiring an urgent exploratory laparotomy. The mock scenario is followed by a task statement that describes the specific action that the student must take. The task here is to discuss how to manage the patient’s Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) status in the perioperative period. An action plan is then presented in a stepwise manner with mock responses and a discussion of the responses. The plan here involves demonstrating behaviors consistent with application of the principles in the ASA Guideline for the Ethical Practice of Anesthesiology—the principles of (1) patient autonomy, (2) beneficence, and (3) nonmaleficence. Grading points are also discussed and how to achieve maximum score is presented.