Ethics and critical care in the new millennium

Attempts to improve survival demand that intensivists practice at the forefront of technology. In the present millennium, ethical challenges will arise during the development and use of emerging therapeutics, and when helping patients and families to decide how these tools should be used in the context of individual and societal goals, values and beliefs. The future of critical care depends on our abilities to think critically through the ethical challenges posed by the exciting therapeutics that draw us to the field. In the coming months, Critical Care Forum will explore the ethical issues that so profoundly affect our ability to provide meaningful health care.