Resource Allocation: Case 1
A 28-year-old male is admitted with bacterial endocarditis and needs a replacement of his prosthetic heart valve. After his first replacement, he continued to abuse intravenous drugs. The medical team feels it would be "futile" and a waste of medical resources to replace this heart valve yet again.
Is the team's judgment appropriate in this case?
While it is likely that this patient will require additional counseling and support services to improve his health outcomes, replacing the heart value is not "futile" in this case (see the topic page on Futility for further discussion). It is also likely that the medical team is using biased criteria to judge "wasted" vs. "properly used" medical resources. Thoughtful discussion may provide an opportunity for the team to voice their frustration and think through a treatment plan that will maximally support this patient's recovery.