Brain death

Extract

• Brain death denotes a state where all cerebrovascular circulation and brain function has permanently ceased.
• The diagnostic criteria, and the guidelines and protocols regarding the confirmation of brain death may vary from country to country. This article is based on the protocol applied in Finland.
• In the case of brain death, spontaneous breathing ceases.
  • Unless breathing is articially maintained, also cardiac arrest eventually occurs.
  • A person can be pronounced dead while the heart is still beating when permanent loss of brain function has been established by clinical investigations.
• In Finland, a patient is regarded dead when brain death is established, and intensive care should not be continued for other reasons than making organ donation possible. Find out about local definitions of death and brain death.
• Spinal and circulatory reflexes may still occur even after a patient has been pronounced brain dead.
  • The occurrence of these reflexes does not conflict with brain death diagnosis, and surgery to remove organs should not be delayed because of it.

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Anaesthesiology, Brain Death, Diagnosis of death, Forensic medicine, G93.90, Neurology, barbiturate poisoning, death, hypothermia, intoxication, organ trasplantation