Medical research and the ethics of medical treatments: disability-free survival

<span class="paragraphSection">Interest in relevant patient-centred outcomes, instead of surrogate outcomes, continues to increase, and for good reason. An example in the setting of anaesthesia and intensive care is that therapeutic measures that improve oxygenation in the setting of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) ("blood gas cosmetics"), do not translate into improved survival as might be expected. Other measures (e.g. ICU mortality or even 30-day post-ICU discharge survival) do not really reflect what many medical staff and laypeople believe represents valid outcome parameters. Using surrogate end-points or mortality rates can also lead to spurious results when it comes to clinical research.</span>

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