Reys L L
Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Legal de Lisboa.
Acta Med Port. 1991 Jan-Feb;4(1):23-6.
Allocation of scarce and vital medical resources in intensive care units (ICUs) is one of the most actual and controversial questions within the context of medical ethics. How shall doctors decide which patients shall benefit from scarce resources such as ICU beds, ventilators, incubators, etc.? Which criteria are more acceptable from the ethical viewpoint in these triage situations: The rights of the patients? The expected benefits? The will of the patients or of their relatives? And how can medical responsibility be envisaged within this context? These are some of the questions discussed in this article having in mind the present framework of ethical and legal obligations pending upon doctors practicing in Portugal.
重症监护病房（ICU）中稀缺且至关重要的医疗资源分配是医学伦理背景下最现实且最具争议的问题之一。医生应如何决定哪些患者能从ICU床位、呼吸机、 incubators等稀缺资源中受益？在这些分诊情况下，从伦理角度来看哪些标准更可接受：患者的权利？预期收益？患者或其亲属的意愿？在这种情况下又应如何设想医疗责任？本文在考虑葡萄牙执业医生目前面临的伦理和法律义务框架的前提下，讨论了其中一些问题。 （注：原文中“incubators”可能有误，结合语境推测应为“保温箱”之类的医疗设备，但按要求不做修改直接翻译）
