Brain death
There are a number of criteria fordiagnosing brain stem death.
For a diagnosis of brain stem death to be made:
Before testing for brain stem death can begin, doctors must carry out a series of checks to ensure that the symptoms aren't being caused by other factors, such as:
Once these factors have been ruled out, tests are carried out to confirm brain death. The diagnosis of brain death has to be made by two senior doctors. Neither of them can be involved with the hospital's transplant team.
The doctors will explain the tests to you and they'll keep you informed about your loved one's condition at all times.
The doctors will run a series of tests. Both doctors have to agree on the results for a diagnosis of brain death to be confirmed. The tests are carried out twice to minimise any chance of error.
The tests used to determine whether brain stem death has occurred are outlined below:
Brain death will bediagnosedif a person fails to respond to all of these tests.
Occasionally, a persons limbs or torso (the upper part of the body) may move, even after brain stem death has been diagnosed.
These spinal reflex movements are generated by the spinal cord and don't involve the brain at all. Therefore, they won't affect the diagnosis of brain death.
Brain stem death is where a person no longer has any brain stem functions, and has permanently lost the potential for consciousness and the capacity to breathe.
For brain stem death to be diagnosed, a person must fail to respond to outside stimulation and there must be clear evidence of serious, irreversible brain damage.