Abstract

Futility has indeed been abused. The term has been applied and misapplied, defined and redefined, molded and remolded until the real meaning is no longer understood. When a word loses its meaning, it loses its power. The reason that the term is no longer clear is because attempts have been made to include scenarios under the banner of futility that do not truly fit. From my perspective as a pediatric critical care physician, the majority of troublesome cases are not questions of true futility. More frequently, the ethical concerns and moral distress encountered in the pediatric intensive care unit are not in the realm of the unambiguous; it is precisely in the ambiguous where distress is felt and...