What Is Brain Stem Death?
Brainstem death is one of the definitions of death, which means that the brainstem is no longer functioning and loses control of other organs, including the inability to breathe on its own. The time of brain death observation is that after the first diagnosis, there is no change in observation for 12 hours before the brain death can be confirmed.
Brain stem death
- This entry lacks an overview map . Supplementing related content makes the entry more complete and can be upgraded quickly. Come on!
- nickname
- Brain stem death
- Definition
- One definition of death
- Meaning
- Brainstem is no longer functioning
- Including
- Unable to breathe on their own
- Brainstem death is one of the definitions of death, which means that the brainstem is no longer functioning and loses control of other organs, including the inability to breathe on its own. The time of brain death observation is that after the first diagnosis, there is no change in observation for 12 hours before the brain death can be confirmed.
- In 2002, the Ministry of Health of China launched the "Chinese Brain Death Diagnostic Standards" (draft) for adults: 1. Prerequisites: the cause of coma is clear; reversible coma excluding various causes. 2. Clinical diagnosis: Deep coma; all brainstem reflexes disappeared; no spontaneous breathing (maintained by ventilator and positive apnea test), all of the above three items must be available. The time of brain death observation is that after the first diagnosis, there is no change in observation for 12 hours before the brain death can be confirmed.
- According to the concept of modern medicine, brain death is a reliable standard for human death. Patients with severe brain injury or encephalopathy fall into a deep coma and stop breathing spontaneously. If the clinical manifestations and laboratory tests have not been serious enough to cause brain death, they should be actively rescued. If the cerebral blood flow has completely stopped and the brain function is completely lost, the patient diagnosed with brain death and only maintains breathing with drugs is not meaningful to the patient's life. Increasing the burden on the family in vain is also a damage to the patient's life dignity.
- Of course, brain death standards are not only a medical issue, but also an ethical issue. It involves not only the patient itself, but also his family's identification with the standard of brain death. Chinese tradition defines death as asystole and spontaneous breathing arrest. Generally, when the brain death is determined, the death must be confirmed with the authority of the physician and the consent of the family members. If the family members do not agree, it is still defined by the standard of heart death.