Brain death

Introduction For patients with clinical heartbeat but no spontaneous breathing, brain function has been permanently lost, and eventually the patient will die, called brain death.

Cause

Due to external factors leading to the irreversible and gradual loss of brain function, the following symptoms occur:

1 spontaneous breathing stops, is the primary indicator of brain death.

2 irreversible deep coma and no response to external stimuli.

3 brain stem nerve reflexes disappear (such as pupillary light reflection, corneal reflex, swallowing reflex).

4 The pupil is loose or fixed.

5 brain waves disappeared and the EEG was at zero.

6 cerebral angiography confirmed that the cerebral blood circulation completely stopped.

an examination

Related inspection

Intracranial Doppler flow imaging (TCD) EEG cerebral angiography

Atropine test, EEG examination.

Differential diagnosis

1, deep coma, no response to any stimulation.

2, spontaneous breathing stops.

3. Brainstem reflexes disappeared.

4. The atropine test was negative.

5. The EEG is equipotential.

One to three of the above criteria are mandatory and are judged under strict observation and repeated monitoring (for at least 24 hours) and exclude the effects of central inhibitors, muscle relaxants, poisons and low temperature factors.

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