Abstract
End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in newborns requires careful ethical decision making, since the burdens and benefits of dialysis in this age group can differ from those of older children, and because it may be difficult to accurately prognosticate renal outcomes in the prenatal period. This chapter will review the available prognosis data for children born with ESKD, the ethical issues that can arise in the decisions about whether dialysis should be offered to newborns and if it can be refused, and the moral distress that can arise for healthcare professionals and families faced with this difficult decision. The importance of prenatal counseling and involvement of allied health professionals in reaching a decision and supporting the family is also reviewed.
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Goldberg, A.M. (2017). Ethical Dialysis Decisions in Infants with End-Stage Kidney Disease. In: Warady, B., Schaefer, F., Alexander, S. (eds) Pediatric Dialysis Case Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55147-0_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55147-0_6
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