WHAT IS BRAIN DEATH?
Brain death is defined by law in Texas as the total absence of any brain function, whether or not the person’s heart is still beating. The time of death is defined as the time at which the physician determines that there is no longer any brain function. There are a number of medical criteria which physicians use to determine that there is no longer any remaining brain functioin. Once this has been deetermined, then the head injured person is legally dead. No decision is required to turn of f the machines which are maintaining breathing and heart beat. In rare instances a decision must be made whether to continue intensive care of a person who is not brain dead but, in the opinion of the attending physician, is hopelessly damaged. These are very difficult decisions and most physicians try to involve the family as much as possible in making them. Such decisions are never properly made on the spur of the moment.
Brain death is the complete and irreversible loss of brain function. In most cases, it is most commonly associated with physical death but does not have to be. Instead, there are times when a body can be kept alive, usually by artificial or mechanical means, even though there is no brain function. This is when the term brain death, or being brain dead, is most often used. Through the advancements of modern science, humans have learned how to keep a body alive beyond a point that natural means could achieve by themselves. However, doing so comes at a price. Usually, for the person involved, this is a last-ditch effort to try to save them when medical doctors may think recovery is still possible. Therefore, in most cases, the use of such machines is only temporary until further evaluations can be done and a diagnosis of brain death can be made. Determining brain death is usually done through the use of an electroencephalogram. This device measures electrical impulses in the brain, which
When someone is brain dead, it means that there is no blood or oxygen flow to his or her brain. Thus, the brain is no longer functioning in any capacity and never will again. What causes brain death? Brain death results from swelling or bleeding resulting from a major trauma to the brain. Frequent causes include: • Lack of oxygen to the brain from drowning, respiratory diseases, or drug overdose. • Irregular blood flow to the brain caused by a blocked artery, heart attack or bleeding in the brain. • A blow to the head or a ruptured aneurysm. • A gunshot wound to the head • The ballooning of a blood vessel supplying the brain. • Car accidents When any of the above occur, they cause swelling of the brain. Because the brain is enclosed in the skull, it does not have room to swell, thus pressure within the skull increases and can stop blood flow to the brain, killing brain cells. When brain cells die, they do not grow back, thus any damage caused is permanent and irreversible. How does a p
Brain death is the irreversible loss of function of the brain. A person who is declared brain dead is legally dead. This means the the patient may be removed from the ventilator and all treatments stopped despite the wishes of the family. Treatments may be continued if there is a possibility of organ donation, but in this case it is only to preserve the viability of the organs and not to help the patient recover. In most states, two separate exams must be performed in order to declare a person brain dead. There are three ways to determine if a person is brain dead: 1. No electrical activity in the brain as determined by an electroencephelogram (EEG). 2. No blood flow to the brain as determined by blood flow studies. 3. Clinical assessment which may include an apnea test where the person is taken off the ventilator to see if he or she will initiate a breath in the span of about ten minutes (individual state and hospital regulations vary). Be aware that a person’s heart can still be beat
Death occurs in two ways: 1) from cessation of cardio-pulmonary (heart-lung) function; and 2) from the cessation of brain function. Brain death occurs when a person has an irreversible, catastrophic brain injury, which causes all brain activity to permanently stop. In such cases, the heart and lungs can continue to function if artificial-support machines are used. However, these functions will also cease when the machines are discontinued. Brain death is an accepted medical, ethical, and legal fact. The standards for determining that someone is brain dead are strict. Tissue donation can occur after either type of death, but organ donation can only occur after brain death.
