The Court and abortion: worse than you think.

Analysis of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on abortion.

Sternal preservation: a better way to treat most sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery.

Background: Postcardiotomy sternal wound complications remain challenging. The prevailing approach for deep sternal wound infection of debridement and flap coverage without osseous closure makes subsequent reoperation difficult.

Methods: An analysis of all patients undergoing cardiac surgery at a single institution between 1986 and 2001 was conducted.

Autonomy and the demented self.

A person who becomes demented can be considered as he presently is, a demented person, or in light of his entire life, of which dementia is but the final stage. These two perspectives can provide conflicting determinations of the person's interests and preferences, since what is best for a demented person at the time may not make his life better overall and may be directly contrary to preferences expressed while competent. Reflection on the concept of autonomy--what faculties it requires, what its point is--provides a clear understanding of the rights of the demented patient.