Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Aug 2004
Multicenter Study[Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). Retrospective and prospective data from a multicenter study on prevalence, diagnosis and therapy in Germany].
Data regarding the prevalence of SBP in patients with ascites or the diagnostic and therapeutic management of SBP in Germany are lacking. ⋯ The prevalence of SBP in hospitalised patients with ascites in Germany is similar to that in southern Europe and USA. Symptoms alone lack sufficient diagnostic accuracy. Third-generation cephalosporin is an effective antibiotic in SBP. Pertinent diagnostic and therapeutic management calls for improvement.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Jul 2004
["Medical futility": the doctor caught between the demands for and the limitations of treatment].
The term medical futility is applied to justify withholding treatments in patients who are likely to gain minimal benefit. Futility refers to limiting the moral obligation to provide medical treatment on the basis of clinical efficacy. ⋯ Secondly, who should determine when a treatment is futile. In this article we summarize the debate about futility and discuss the relevance of this concept.