Medical Ethics — MCQs

A 12-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department after a motor vehicle collision. He was being carpooled to school by an intoxicated driver and was involved in a high velocity head-on collision. The patient is otherwise healthy and has no past medical history. His temperature is 99.2°F (37.3°C), blood pressure is 80/45 mmHg, pulse is 172/min, respirations are 36/min, and oxygen saturation is 100% on room air. A FAST exam demonstrates free fluid in Morrison pouch. The patient’s parents arrive and state that they are Jehovah’s witnesses. They state they will not accept blood products for their son but will allow him to go to the operating room to stop the bleeding. Due to poor understanding and a language barrier, the parents are also refusing IV fluids as they are concerned that this may violate their religion. The child is able to verbalize that he agrees with his parents and does not want any treatment. Which of the following is the best next treatment for this patient?

A 67-year-old man is brought to the emergency department because of severe dyspnea and orthopnea for 6 hours. He has a history of congestive heart disease and an ejection fraction of 40%. The medical history is otherwise unremarkable. He appears confused. At the hospital, his blood pressure is 165/110 mm Hg, the pulse is 135/min, the respirations are 48/min, and the temperature is 36.2°C (97.2°F). Crackles are heard at both lung bases. There is pitting edema from the midtibia to the ankle bilaterally. The patient is intubated and admitted to the critical care unit for mechanical ventilation and treatment. Intravenous morphine, diuretics, and nitroglycerine are initiated. Which of the following is the most effective method to prevent nosocomial infection in this patient?

A 78-year-old woman comes to her family physician for an annual health maintenance examination. Her husband, who worked as an art collector and curator, recently passed away. To express her gratitude for the longstanding medical care of her husband, she offers the physician and his staff a framed painting from her husband's art collection. Which of the following is the most appropriate reaction by the physician?

A 72-year-old man is seen in the hospital for a sacral rash. The patient has been hospitalized for the past 3 weeks for a heart failure exacerbation. When the nurse went to bathe him this morning, she noticed a red rash over his sacrum. The patient reports mild discomfort and denies pruritus. The patient has chronic kidney disease, urinary incontinence, ischemic cardiomyopathy, gout, and poor mobility. His current medications include aspirin, furosemide, metoprolol, lisinopril, spironolactone, and prednisone that was started for a recent gout flare. The patient’s temperature is 97°F (37.2°C), blood pressure is 110/62 mmHg, pulse is 68/min, and respirations are 13/min with an oxygen saturation of 98% on room air. On physical examination, there is a 4 cm x 6 cm patch of non-blanchable erythema over the patient’s sacrum that is mildly tender to palpation. Labs are obtained, as shown below: Leukocyte count: 10,000/mm^3 with normal differential Hemoglobin: 15.2 g/dL Platelet count: 400,000/mm^3 Serum: Na: 138 mEq/L K+: 4.3 mEq/L Cl-: 104 mEq/L HCO3-: 25 mEq/L BUN: 26 mg/dL Creatinine: 1.5 mg/dL Glucose: 185 mg/dL A hemoglobin A1c is pending. Which of the following is the best management for the patient’s most likely diagnosis?

You are a resident on a pediatric service entering orders late at night. Upon arrival the next morning, you note that you had mistakenly ordered that low molecular weight heparin be administered to a 17-year-old patient who does not need anti-coagulation. When you talk to her, she complains about the "shot" she had to get this morning but is otherwise well. How should you handle the situation?

A 16-year-old male presents to the cardiologist after passing out during a basketball practice. An echocardiogram confirmed the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The cardiologist advises that a pacemaker must be implanted to prevent any further complications and states the player cannot play basketball anymore. Unfortunately, the coach objects to sidelining the player since a big game against their rivals is next week. The coach asks if the pacemaker can be implanted after the game, which of the following steps should the physician take?

An 82-year-old woman is brought to the physician by her nephew, who lives with her because she has a pessimistic attitude and has displayed overall distrust of her nephew for 1 year. She frequently argues with her nephew and embarrasses him in front of his friends. She had a Colles’ fracture 2 months ago and has had hypertension for 18 years. Her medications include hydrochlorothiazide and nortriptyline. She has a quantity of each leftover since her previous visit 2 months ago and has not requested new prescriptions, which she would need if she were taking them as prescribed. She appears untidy. Her blood pressure is 155/98 mm Hg. She mumbles in response to questions, and her nephew insists on being at her side during the entire visit because she cannot express herself clearly. She has a sore on her ischial tuberosity and bruises around her ankles. Which of the following is the most appropriate action in patient care?

After the administration of an erroneous dose of intravenous phenytoin for recurrent seizures, a 9-year-old girl is resuscitated because of bradycardia and asystole. Later, the patient is taken to the critical care unit and placed on mechanical ventilation. Neurologic consultation shows hypoxic brain injury. To reduce the incidence of similar events, which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 62-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department of a busy suburban hospital because of a 1-week history of nausea and vomiting. She also has had intermittent fevers and headaches during the past 5 weeks. She does not have a stiff neck or sensitivity to light. She appears tired. Her temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 70/min, respirations are 15/min, and blood pressure is 135/85 mm Hg. She is alert and oriented to person, place, and time. Examination shows no abnormalities. A lumbar puncture is performed, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is collected for analysis. On the way to the laboratory, the physician loses the CSF specimens. The physician decides that a repeat lumbar puncture should be performed. Before giving consent for the second procedure, the patient asks what the results are from the specimens obtained earlier. Which of the following responses by the physician is the most appropriate?

A 45-year-old woman is in a high-speed motor vehicle accident and suffers multiple injuries to her extremities and abdomen. In the field, she was bleeding profusely and, upon arrival to the emergency department, she is lethargic and unable to speak. Her blood pressure on presentation is 70/40 mmHg. The trauma surgery team recommends emergency exploratory laparotomy. While the patient is in the trauma bay, her husband calls and says that the patient is a Jehovah's witness and that her religion does not permit her to receive a blood transfusion. No advanced directives are available. Which of the following is an appropriate next step?