Abstract
Apnea testing is a conditio sine qua non in determining brain or brain-stem death world-wide. It is an important sign of loss of brain stem functions and signifies that breath has vanished from man. It is, however, the most time-consuming, difficult and potentially harmful of all clinical assessments. It may induce not only hypotension but even cardiac arrhythmia or asystole.t 2 Disagreement prevails as to which parameters to apply and how to proceed for best results. This paper reviews the preconditions and procedures for apnea testing and addresses some special problems and pitfalls to be overcome in order to obtain valid results.
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Lang, C.J.G., Heckmann, J.G. (2004). How Should Testing for Apnea be Performed in Diagnosing Brain Death?. In: Machado, C., Shewmon, D.A. (eds) Brain Death and Disorders of Consciousness. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 550. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48526-8_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48526-8_15
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