What tests are used to determine brain death?

A patient properly determined to be brain dead is legally and clinically dead. The diagnosis of brain death is primarily clinical. No other tests are required if the full clinical examination, including an assessment of brain stem reflexes and an apnea test, is conclusively performed.

What temperature is brain death?

The conditions that may confound clinical diagnosis of brain death are: Shock/ hypotension. Hypothermia -temperature < 32°C.

What is the criteria to determine brain death?

For a diagnosis of brain death: a person must be unconscious and fail to respond to outside stimulation. a person’s heartbeat and breathing can only be maintained using a ventilator. there must be clear evidence that serious brain damage has occurred and it cannot be cured.

How long is an apnea test for brain death?

Apnea test is required as part of the brain death examination. The duration of the apnea test is variable but typically requires 8–10 min. Prolonged apnea tests have been reported in the setting of hypothermia.

What is caloric test?

CALORIC TEST (AKA ENG, VENG) The caloric test is a part of the ENG. It is an attempt to discover the degree to which the vestibular system is responsive and also how symmetric the responses are, between left and right ears.

What is the brain death exam?

A transcranial doppler exam uses ultrasound waves to evaluate blood flow in the brain. During brain death, the brain can swell in ways that increase resistance in the blood vessels, minimizing the flow of blood.

What is brain death evaluation?

An evaluation for brain death should be considered in patients who have suffered a massive, irreversible brain injury of identifiable cause. A patient properly determined to be brain dead is legally and clinically dead. The diagnosis of brain death is primarily clinical.