Determining Brain Death: Updated Guidelines and Ancillary Testing

This post was peer reviewed.
Click to learn more.

Author: Sean Weaver, DO MPH
Emergency Medicine Resident
University of Nevada, School of Medicine

The following blog post appeared initially at www.lasvegasemr.com/foam-blog and is reproduced with the permission of the author.



Introduction
Last week we reviewed the original 1995 criteria for declaring brain death. This week we are reviewing updated standards as outlined by the American Academy of Neurologists (AAN). Also, this post reviews some of the ancillary tests that EM physicians may be asked to order in order to evaluate for possible brain death.

Updated Evidence-Based Guideline: Determining Brain Death in Adults[1]
In 2010 the American Academy of Neurology published an evidence-based review of the original 1995 guidelines on determining brain death. They reviewed the existing literature and sought to answer five questions listed below. This is a brief summary of their conclusions.

Determining Brain Death: Legal Definition and Original Guidelines

This post was peer reviewed.
Click to learn more.

Author: Sean Weaver, DO MPH
Emergency Medicine Resident
University of Nevada, School of Medicine

The following blog post appeared initially at www.lasvegasemr.com/foam-blog and is reproduced with the permission of the author.  

 
Introduction
Brain death accounts for 1-2% of all deaths in the United States.[1] Patients will present to your emergency department clinically brain dead. While neurologists, neurosurgeons and intensivists may have more experience in determining brain death, all physicians have the legal authority to determine brain death.[2] As emergency physicians we need to know how to properly evaluate these patients, assess their level of brain function, guide their disposition, and prepare their family or loved ones for the eventual outcome.