Avtor/Urednik | Trontelj, JV | |
Naslov | Brain death: do we know the real dividing line between life and death? | |
Tip | članek | |
Vir | J Kuwait Med Assoc | |
Vol. in št. | Letnik 26, št. 1 | |
Leto izdaje | 1994 | |
Obseg | str. 13-8 | |
Jezik | eng | |
Abstrakt | The paper touches on some of the recently debated issues in diagnosing brain death. Arguments are presented against the concept of "brainstem death" as being equivalent to brain death, and in favour of the "whole brain death" concept. The problem of the surviving hemispheres above the dead brainstem is duscussed. This condition is suggested to represent an extreme form of the de-efferented states, and the use of EEG and some other supportive methods in diagnosing such cases is advocated. Even among the medical professionals responsible for diagnosing brain-dead patients and working in the areas of intensive care and transplantation there is disturbing confusion regarding the concepts of death. Thise is at least partly due to incoherence of the currently accepted whole-brain concept of death. Anencephaly and persistent vegetative state do not meet the criteria of brain death; they are considered a justifiable cause to discontinue life-supporting measures but may not be used as a source of organs for transplantation. It is postulated that the same should apply to patients with "brainstem death", as long as they to satisfy the criteria of wholebrain death. | |
Deskriptorji | BRAIN DEATH INTENSIVE CARE UNITS TRANSPLANTATION BRAIN STEM ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY |