"Medical Futility" is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus,
MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure,
which enables searching at various levels of specificity.
The absence of a useful purpose or useful result in a diagnostic procedure or therapeutic intervention. The situation of a patient whose condition will not be improved by treatment or instances in which treatment preserves permanent unconsciousness or cannot end dependence on intensive medical care. (From Ann Intern Med 1990 Jun 15;112(12):949)
| Descriptor ID |
D018447
|
| MeSH Number(s) |
E01.789.600
|
| Concept/Terms |
Futile Treatment- Futile Treatment
- Futile Treatments
- Treatment, Futile
- Treatments, Futile
|
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more general than "Medical Futility".
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more specific than "Medical Futility".
This graph shows the total number of publications written about "Medical Futility" by people in this website by year, and whether "Medical Futility" was a major or minor topic of these publications.
To see the data from this visualization as text,
click here.
| Year | Major Topic | Minor Topic | Total |
|---|
| 1996 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2009 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2021 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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Below are the most recent publications written about "Medical Futility" by people in Profiles.
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Optimizing Outcomes in Gallbladder Cancer: Identifying Predictors of Futile Up-Front Surgery in a Global Multi-center Study. Ann Surg Oncol. 2025 Jun; 32(6):4374-4382.
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The Ethical Standard for End-of-Life Decisions for Unrepresented Patients. Am J Bioeth. 2025 Sep; 25(9):74-85.
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The Texas Medical Board and the Futility of Medical Exceptions to Abortion Bans. JAMA. 2024 06 25; 331(24):2073-2074.
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Responses to a Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody for Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 According to Baseline Antibody and Antigen Levels : A Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2022 02; 175(2):234-243.
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Delayed Implantation of Pumped Kidneys Decreases Renal Allograft Futility in Combined Liver-Kidney Transplantation. Transplantation. 2020 08; 104(8):1591-1603.
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Critical Conversations: Say This, Not That. Chest. 2020 09; 158(3):896-898.
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A Process-Based Approach to Responding to Parents or Guardians Who Hope for a Miracle. Pediatrics. 2020 03; 145(3).
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Viewpoint: The Role of Futility Analyses in Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trials. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2020; 7(1):7.
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Safety and efficacy of sonothrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke: a multicentre, double-blind, phase 3, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Neurol. 2019 04; 18(4):338-347.
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Controversies in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) utilization and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) repair using a Delphi approach: from the American Pediatric Surgical Association Critical Care Committee (APSA-CCC). Pediatr Surg Int. 2018 Nov; 34(11):1163-1169.