Treatment of Preterm Infants at the Lower Margin of Viability – a Comparison of Guidelines in German Speaking Countries

摘要

IntroductionThe treatment of preterm infants at the lower margin of viability is carried out amid growing tension between increasing survival rates, uncertain clinical outcomes, and financial and ethical considerations. The three German speaking countries have released guidelines on this issue, based on a previous common guideline. That is why the differences in national guidelines between the three countries is of peculiar interest in respect of medical ethics.