An infant with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis is brought to clinic by his Jehovah's Witness parents to discuss treatment. Five potential courses of action are discussed in the context of biomedical ethics principles. The potential conflict between parents’ autonomy to make decisions for their child and the surgeon's ethical duty of beneficence to the patient is explored.
American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Bioethics. Informed consent in decision-making in pediatric practice. Pediatrics. 2016;138(2):e20161484.
2.
BirgfeldCDuftonLNaumannHHopperRGrussJHaberkernCSpeltzM. Safety of open cranial vault surgery for single suture craniosynostosis: a case for the multi-disciplinary team. J Craniofac Surg. 2015;26(7):2052-2058.
3.
DiekemaD. Parental refusals of medical treatment: the harm principle as threshold for state intervention. Theor Med Bioeth. 2004;25(4):243-264.
4.
DoumitGPapayFMooresNZinsJ. Management of sagittal synostosis: a solution to equipoise. J Craniofac Surg. 2014;25(4):1260-1265.
5.
GhenbotRPatelKSkolnickGNaidooSSmythMWooA. Effects of open and endoscopic surgery on skull growth and calvarial vault volumes in sagittal synostosis. J Craniofac Surg. 2015;26(1):161-164.
6.
GoobieSMeierPPereiraLMcGowanFPrescillaRScharpLRogersGProctorMMearaJSorianoS, et al.Efficacy of tranexamic acid in pediatric craniosynostosis surgery: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Am Soc Anesthesiol. 2011;114(4):862-871.
7.
HuaMMunsonRLucasARovelstadSKlingensmithMKodnerI. Medical treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses. Surgery. 2008;143(4):463-465.
8.
JonsenASieglerMWinsladeW. Clinical ethics: A practical approach to ethical decisions in clinical medicine. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2015.
9.
ReddySSwinkJRogersGMyserosJKeatingRSantosD. Transfusion-free calvarial vault reconstruction using multimodal blood conservation strategies in two pediatric Jehovah's Witness patients with craniosynostosis. AA Pract. 2016;7(2):33-36.
10.
ResarLWickEAlmasriTDackiwENessPFrankS. Bloodless medicine: current strategies and emerging treatment paradigms. Transfusion. 2016;56[10]:2637-2647.
11.
RutledgeW. Majority opinion in: Prince v. Massachusetts, 321 U.S. 158 (1944). Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. https://www.loc.gov/item/usrep321158/
12.
SoodSRozzelleAShaqiriBSoodNHamS. Effect of molding helmet on head shape in nonsurgically treated sagittal craniosynostosis. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2011;7(6):627-632.
13.
Thiele-NygaardAFoss-SkiftesvikJJuhlerM. Intracranial pressure, brain morphology and cognitive outcome in children with sagittal craniosynostosis. Childs Nerv Syst. 2020;36(4):689-695.
14.
VegaRLyonCKierceJTyeGRitterARhodesJ. Minimizing transfusion requirements for children undergoing craniosynostosis repair: the CHoR protocol. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2014;14(2):190-195.
15.
VogelTWooAKaneAPatelKNaidooSSmythM. A comparison of costs associated with endoscope-assisted craniectomy versus open cranial vault repair for infants with sagittal synostosis. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2014;13(3):324-331.
