Start Here. Diagnosis and Tests. Treatments and Therapies. Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation. Craniotomy - slideshow Medical Encyclopedia Also in Spanish. Videos and Tutorials. Clinical Trials. Article: Emerging Roles of Astrocyte Kir4. Brain Diseases -- see more articles. Reference Desk. This means they will not regain consciousness or be able to breathe without support. A person who's brain dead is legally confirmed as dead.
They have no chance of recovery because their body is unable to survive without artificial life support. If someone's brain dead, the damage is irreversible and, according to UK law, the person has died. It can be confusing to be told someone has brain death, because their life support machine will keep their heart beating and their chest will still rise and fall with every breath from the ventilator.
But they will not ever regain consciousness or start breathing on their own again. They have already died. The brain stem is the lower part of the brain that's connected to the spinal cord part of the central nervous system in the spinal column.
The brain stem is responsible for regulating most of the body's automatic functions that are essential for life. The brain stem also relays information to and from the brain to the rest of the body, so it plays an important role in the brain's core functions, such as consciousness, awareness and movement.
The diagnosis of brain death is defined as "death based on the absence of all neurologic function. Brain death is a legal definition of death. It is the complete stopping of all brain function and cannot be reversed. It means that, because of extreme and serious trauma or injury to the brain, the body's blood supply to the brain is blocked, and the brain dies. Brain death is death. It is permanent. A doctor will do tests to make a diagnosis of brain death. These tests are based on sound and legally accepted medical guidelines.
Tests include a clinical examination to show that an individual has no brain reflexes and cannot breathe on his or her own. In some situations, other tests may be needed.
You can ask your doctor to explain or show you how brain death was determined for your loved one. Possibly, an individual may show spinal activity or reflexes such as twitching or muscle contractions.
Spinal reflexes are caused by electrical impulses that remain in the spinal column. These reflexes may happen even though the brain is dead. The individual is placed on a machine that breathes for him or her, called a ventilator. This machine is needed because the brain can no longer send signals telling the body to breathe. Special medications to help maintain blood pressure and other body functions may also be given.
During the brain death testing, the ventilator and medications continue but they do not affect the results of the testing. Certain drugs can mask brain function, such as muscle relaxants and sedatives.
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