Ethical Considerations in Fetal and Pediatric Cardiology

Pediatric cardiology as a field has significantly evolved over the last 50 years. As techniques improved and efficacy was established, increasingly rare diagnoses were treated with favorable short- and long-term outcomes that continue to improve. In this chapter, the ethical concepts, frameworks, and applied clinical analysis that are utilized in pediatric cardiology are explored to augment providers’ skills in working through ethical challenges. The field of bioethics and its relevance to pediatric cardiology is introduced, and clinical applications of ethics, controversies surrounding interventions, consideration of genetic and extracardiac anomalies, transplant-related ethics, clinical ethics consultations, regionalization of care and health policy, disparities in care, global perspectives of congenital heart disease (CHD), and ethical issues in innovation are all tackled. By enhancing skills in grappling with the ethical dilemmas intendant to care, the pediatric cardiology practitioner will be well seated to both engage in patient care and continue to help advance the field forward.