It is a nightmare situation. Someone is unconscious in an ambulance following a heart attack or car smash. The paramedics have a treatment in their pack that just might buy them enough time to get to the emergency room. The trouble is it’s brand new, experimental, and relatively untested. They clearly can’t ask the victim for consent to use it. So what should they do?
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration held a public hearing to review its guidelines for handling these life-and-death dilemmas. Up for discussion is how to meet the FDA’s requirement that new treatments should…
