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brain death |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
brain deathState of irreversible destruction of the brain. Before the invention of life-support systems, brain death always led quickly to death of the body. Ethical considerations are crucial to defining criteria for brain death, which in most countries must be met before efforts to extend life may be ended. Such criteria include deep coma with a known cause, absence of any brainstem functions (e.g., spontaneous respiration, pupil reactions, gag and cough reflexes), and exclusion of hypothermia, drugs, and poison as causes. Electroencephalography is useful but not essential in determining brain death. Organ donors must be declared brain-dead before their organs may be removed for transplant. The question of when life support can legally be ended has been the subject of numerous court cases. brain death irreversible cessation of respiration due to irreparable brain damage, even though the heart may continue beating with the aid of a mechanical ventilator: widely considered as the criterion of death How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Until now, the transplant option has been available after the brain death of a patient. After the certification of brain death and consent for organ donation, nursing care of a HBD in ICU focuses on maintaining patient comfort, as well as ventilatory and haemodynamic stability to ensure optimum organ perfusion. Concluding the volume, Margaret Lock discusses biomedicine and morality with a moving essay on brain death, terminal care and organ transplants. |
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