Tough Decisions presents many of the complex medical-ethical issues likely to confront practitioners in critical situations. Through fictional but true-to-life cases, vividly described in clinical terms, the authors force the reader to choose among different courses of action and to confront a range of possible consequences. A two-year-old has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Who should be allowed to make decisions about the child's surgery and subsequent therapy, and on what basis? A family history of Huntington's disease emerges when a fiancee seeks genetic counseling. Who should be informed? An elderly patient suffers a cardiac arrest. Should "do-not-resuscitate" orders always be followed? How should legal liability affect medical decisions?