"Medical Futility" is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus,
MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure,
which enables searching at various levels of specificity.
The absence of a useful purpose or useful result in a diagnostic procedure or therapeutic intervention. The situation of a patient whose condition will not be improved by treatment or instances in which treatment preserves permanent unconsciousness or cannot end dependence on intensive medical care. (From Ann Intern Med 1990 Jun 15;112(12):949)
| Descriptor ID |
D018447
|
| MeSH Number(s) |
E01.789.600
|
| Concept/Terms |
Futile Treatment- Futile Treatment
- Futile Treatments
- Treatment, Futile
- Treatments, Futile
|
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more general than "Medical Futility".
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more specific than "Medical Futility".
This graph shows the total number of publications written about "Medical Futility" by people in this website by year, and whether "Medical Futility" was a major or minor topic of these publications.
To see the data from this visualization as text,
click here.
| Year | Major Topic | Minor Topic | Total |
|---|
| 1996 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2015 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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click here.
Below are the most recent publications written about "Medical Futility" by people in Profiles.
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Moore EE, Moore HB, Thomas SG, Farrell MS, Sixta S, Coleman JR, Miller JB, Bunch CM, Waxman D, Walsh MM. Serial "death diamond" TEGs are a bedside indicator of futile resuscitation during massive transfusion. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2023 09 01; 95(3):e19-e21.
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Fleishman R. The Hardest Step. JAMA. 2022 Jan 18; 327(3):221-222.
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Entwistle JWC, Fenton KN. Rethinking the ethics of ventricular assist device withdrawal. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 04; 159(4):1328-1332.
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Justin GA, Rapuano CJ, Pelton RW, Auran JD. Ocular Futility: How to Approach End-of-Sight Care. Ophthalmology. 2019 09; 126(9):1209-1211.
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Schlaff WD. A reconsideration of salpingectomy for hydrosalpinx before in vitro fertilization: why bother? Fertil Steril. 2019 04; 111(4):650-651.
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Cifrese L, Rincon F. Futility and Patients Who Insist on Medically Ineffective Therapy. Semin Neurol. 2018 10; 38(5):561-568.
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Cairo SB, Arbuthnot M, Boomer LA, Dingeldein MW, Feliz A, Gadepalli S, Newton CR, Ricca R, Vogel AM, Rothstein DH. Controversies in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) utilization and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) repair using a Delphi approach: from the American Pediatric Surgical Association Critical Care Committee (APSA-CCC). Pediatr Surg Int. 2018 Nov; 34(11):1163-1169.
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Kon AA, Shepard EK, Sederstrom NO, Swoboda SM, Marshall MF, Birriel B, Rincon F. Defining Futile and Potentially Inappropriate Interventions: A Policy Statement From the Society of Critical Care Medicine Ethics Committee. Crit Care Med. 2016 09; 44(9):1769-74.
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Szeto WY, Svensson LG, Rajeswaran J, Ehrlinger J, Suri RM, Smith CR, Mack M, Miller DC, McCarthy PM, Bavaria JE, Cohn LH, Corso PJ, Guyton RA, Thourani VH, Lytle BW, Williams MR, Webb JG, Kapadia S, Tuzcu EM, Cohen DJ, Schaff HV, Leon MB, Blackstone EH. Appropriate patient selection or health care rationing? Lessons from surgical aortic valve replacement in the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves I trial. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015 Sep; 150(3):557-68.e11.
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Maerz LL, Mosenthal AC, Miller RS, Cotton BA, Kirton OC. Futility and the acute care surgeon. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2015 Jun; 78(6):1216-9.