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Determination of and Difficulties with Brain Death

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Fundamentals of Neurosurgery

Abstract

Brain death accounts for an estimated 1–2% of all deaths in the United States per year, and it will be encountered on a regular basis by any clinician who cares for patients with neurologic concerns. Despite worldwide acceptance of the concept of brain death, there remains considerable variation in determination and testing across countries and institutions. This can make brain death consideration confusing and stressful for both families and clinicians. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a general overview of brain death considerations and tools available to the clinician.

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Abbreviations

AAN:

American academy of neurology

CNS:

Central nervous system

CO2:

Carbon dioxide

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

CTA:

Computed tomography angiography

EEG:

Electroencephalography

EU:

European union

ICU:

Intensive care unit

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

RNI:

Radionuclide imaging

TCD:

Transcranial Doppler

UDDA:

Uniform determination of death act

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    James W. Bales & Louis J. Kim

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  1. James W. Bales
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  2. Louis J. Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Louis J. Kim .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery Division, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Andrei Fernandes Joaquim

  2. Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery Division, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Enrico Ghizoni

  3. Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery Division, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Helder Tedeschi

  4. Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Mauro Augusto Tostes Ferreira

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Bales, J.W., Kim, L.J. (2019). Determination of and Difficulties with Brain Death. In: Joaquim, A., Ghizoni, E., Tedeschi, H., Ferreira, M. (eds) Fundamentals of Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17649-5_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17649-5_19

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-17648-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-17649-5

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