PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Appleton Consensus”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

The Appleton Consensus: suggested international guidelines for decisions to forego medical treatment.

Thirty-three physicians, bioethicists, and medical economists from ten different countries met at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, to create The Appleton Consensus: International Guidelines for Decisions to Forego Medical Treatment. The guidelines deal with four specific decision-making circumstances: 1. Five guidelines were created for decisions involving competent patients or patients who have executed an advance directive before becoming incompetent, and those guidelines fell into three categories. 2. Thirteen guidelines were created for decisions involving patients who were once competent, but are not now competent, who have not executed an advance directive. 3. Seven guidelines were created for decisions involving patients who are not now and never have been competent, for whom 'no substituted judgement' can be rendered. 4. Eleven guidelines were created for decisions involving the scarcity of medical resources, which exists in all communities. Five concepts were identified as being critical in the establishment of priorities, given the reality of scarce health resources (1). The term 'physician' is used in the American sense, synonymous with 'medical practitioner'.

Beneficence↗

The Appleton Consensus: suggested international guidelines for decisions to forgo medical treatment.

Thirty-three physicians, bioethicists, and medical economists from ten different countries met at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, to create The Appleton Consensus: International Guidelines for Decisions to Forgo Medical Treatment. The guidelines deal with four specific decision-making circumstances. 1. Five guidelines were created for decisions involving competent patients or patients who executed an advance directive before becoming incompetent, and those guidelines fell into three categories. 2. Thirteen guidelines were created for decisions involving patients who were once competent, but are not now competent, who have not executed an advance directive. 3. Seven guidelines were created for decisions involving patients who are not now and never have been competent, for whom "no substituted judgment" can be rendered. 4. Eleven guidelines were created for decisions involving the scarcity of medical resources, which exists in all communities. Five concepts were identified as being critical in the establishment of priorities given the reality of scarce health resources.

Economics, Medical↗

Persistent vegetative state: a presumption to treat.

The article briefly analyzes the concept of a person, arguing that personhood does not coincide with the actual enjoyment of certain intellectual capacities, but is coextensive with the embodiment of a human individual. Since in PVS patients we can observe a human individual functioning as a whole, we must conclude that these patients are still human persons, even if in a condition of extreme impairment. It is then argued that some forms of minimal treatment may not be futile for these patients; they may constitute a form of respect for their human dignity and benefit these patients, even if they are not aware of that. Moreover, it is important to consider the symbolic significance of care: while many believe that PVS is a kind of imprisonment, for others providing food and fluids is the only way to testify our proximity to these persons. The best policy would be to provide, as a general rule, artificial nutrition and hydration to PVS patients: this treatment could be withdrawn, after a period of observation and reflection by the family and proxies, on the basis of the proxies' objection to the continuation or of the patient's advance directives specifically referring to this situation.

Advance Directives↗

On discontinuing dialysis.

Ethical issues relating to the withdrawal of dialysis are discussed, comparing dialysis with other life-support systems, particularly artificial ventilation. It is argued that there is no ethical difference between discontinuing treatment in each case. One practical difference between the two is that patients with chronic renal failure are less likely to have reduced autonomy, and so can engage in discussions with their doctors regarding the situations in which their life-supporting treatment might be discontinued. It is argued that doctors caring for patients on dialysis have an ethical duty to discuss with these patients the circumstances in which they may wish to discontinue dialysis.

Cause of Death↗

Canadian consensus recommendations for the measurement and reporting of diastolic dysfunction by echocardiography: from the Investigators of Consensus on Diastolic Dysfunction by Echocardiography.

Abnormalities of diastolic filling are increasingly recognized as a cause of symptoms and predictors of outcome in patients with most forms of heart disease. Noninvasive assessment of diastolic filling is possible in almost all patients, but accurate evaluation must relate echocardiographic Doppler measurements to the complex physiologic and hemodynamic factors responsible for normal and abnormal filling. This evaluation has been facilitated by recent correlation of Doppler measurement of mitral and pulmonary venous inflow with hemodynamic studies. These studies have confirmed that when a careful, integrated approach is taken, Doppler flow patterns can document a progressive pattern of abnormality in many conditions. Impaired left ventricular (LV) relaxation is seen early and is recognized by a decrease in early transmitral LV filling and an increased proportion of filling during atrial contraction. As abnormalities progress, increasing LV chamber stiffness and elevated left atrial pressure lead to a "pseudonormal" filling pattern that previously has caused considerable confusion. This can be unmasked by careful evaluation of pulmonary venous inflow and the use of the Valsalva maneuver. When marked diastolic abnormalities are present, LV filling has restrictive features characterized by rapid early filling, a very stiff left ventricle with high filling pressures, and a poor prognosis. Routine measurement of indexes of diastolic filling have been hampered by uncertainty as to what should be measured, what techniques should be used, definition of normal values, and a clear method of reporting findings. This report represents the efforts of a Canadian consensus group to define a national standard for the performance and reporting of echocardiographic Doppler studies of diastolic filling.

Aged↗

The treatment of convulsive status epilepticus in children. The Status Epilepticus Working Party, Members of the Status Epilepticus Working Party.

There is currently little agreement between hospital protocols when treating convulsive status epilepticus in children, and a working party has been set up to produce a national evidence based guideline for treating this condition. This four step guideline is presented in this paper. Its effectiveness will be highlighted and its use audited in a number of centres.

Anticonvulsants↗

Nonconvulsive status epilepticus: Epilepsy Research Foundation workshop reports.

In April 2004, a group of physicians with an interest in nonconvulsive status epilepticus representing a spectrum of opinion met in Oxford, sponsored by the Epilepsy Research Foundation (a charitable organization), to discuss and debate the definition, diagnosis and treatment of nonconvulsive status epilepticus. We felt that such a meeting would be useful, as nonconvulsive status epilepticus is a subject that provokes strong reactions, perhaps largely due to the relative lack of evidence and the surfeit of opinion. The meeting was arranged such that there were formal talks followed by a discussion led by one of the attendees. We present here the extended abstracts of the main talks with the points raised by the discussants. Despite disagreements on certain issues there was much in the way of consensus. First, it was agreed that nonconvulsive status epilepticus is a term that covers a range of disparate conditions with varying prognoses and treatments. The agreed definition was thus suitably vague, A< >. Secondly, it was agreed that even within a specific condition (e.g. complex partial status epilepticus), the prognosis and treatment depends upon the context in which the condition occurs (e.g. in the critically ill, in coma, in the A< > and in people with prior epilepsy). Perhaps, most importantly it was agreed that we lacked good clinical data, and the challenge was to design good studies for a condition that is underrecognised and often difficult to diagnose.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗

Epilepsy--giving the diagnosis. A survey of British paediatric neurologists.

Adult-centred studies continue to show poor information provision and understanding in people with epilepsy. This study explores whether paediatric neurologists work within a consultation framework designed to meet information needs. A questionnaire on how to give the diagnosis was sent to 32 UK Paediatric Neurologists. Consultation content was largely determined intuitively rather than on a shared knowledge of the process involved. Little consensus was identified in relation to analogy and the usefulness or awareness of available unevaluated literature; but most acknowledged the value of a specialist epilepsy nurse. Most responses were based on a typical medical agenda but less than 20% addressed emotional responses and adaptation. Three approaches were identified-'pro-active' (running the risk of overload but recognising the right of parents to information), 'reactive' (more individually tailored, but assumes doctors can judge parental reactions) and 'drip-feed' (protective and pre-selecting topics to meet the situation). Our aim to establish a guideline proved impossible. Further study should develop more detailed models of the disclosure process, and identify epilepsy explanations that can be consumer-tested.

Adult↗