The present study has been made through a revision of medical reports during the period of three years at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of a University Hospital, having analyzed the variables as, hospitalization time, diagnosis of the child's principle organ failure, presence of chronic disease, the doctor's decision concerning the introduction of life support measure, the do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders additionally the relationship quality towards doctors and relatives. Most of the obtained results revealed that the procedures adopted by doctors reflect majorly the professional concerns to protect themselves from lawsuits about neglecting help. Although, the clinic cases studied refers to patients carriers of terminal illness, which only by itself, involves an enormous quantity of moral conflicts, at none of these situations were offered to the patient's relatives the possibility to participate at the deliberately procedures about the medical decision therefore there were no consultations with the Ethics Committee from the Hospital.
Medical care; Hospice care; Intensive care units; Pediatrics. Laws-Crime-Brazil; Legislation