Skip to main content

Recommendations Developed for Determining Brain Death

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2023 -- In a consensus guideline published online Oct. 11 in Neurology, updated recommendations are presented for determining brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC) for adults and children.

David M. Greer, M.D., from the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and colleagues updated the 2010 American Academy of Neurology BD/DNC guideline for adults and the 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics, Child Neurology Society, and Society of Critical Care Medicine guideline for infants and children. The process of determining BD/DNC was clarified by integrating guidance for adults and children into a single guideline. The recommendations were developed by a panel of experts from multiple medical societies; recommendations were formulated and voted on.

Eighty-five recommendations were developed. These recommendations related to general principles for the evaluation of BD/DNC; qualifications to perform these evaluations; prerequisites for determination of BD/DNC; components of the BD/DNC neurologic examination; apnea testing and ancillary testing as part of the BD/DNC evaluation; and special considerations for determination of BD/DNC.

"This guideline provides a highly rigorous and structured approach to brain death evaluation and determination," coauthor Ariane Lewis, M.D., from the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said in a statement. "It is recommended that hospital administrators ensure that their hospital's brain death determination policies are updated to be consistent with this new guideline."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted October 2023

Read this next

AI-Assisted Contours Superior to Cognitively Defined Prostate Cancer Contours

WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted definition of prostate cancer contours reduces underestimation of the extent of prostate cancer, according to a...

Mean Cost of Bringing New Drug to U.S. Market Is $879.3 Million

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- The mean cost of developing a new drug for the U.S. market is estimated to be $879.3 million when both drug development failure and capital costs are...

Patient–Primary Care Provider Language Concordance Tied to Better Outcomes

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Patient-family physician language concordance is associated with a lower risk for adverse outcomes, according to a study published online June 3...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.