Abstract
The whole-brain criterion for death requires the absence of all functions of the entire brain. It follows logically that the preservation of any function of any part of the brain is not consistent with the whole-brain criterion for death. The hypothalamus is a part of the brain and has been shown to continue functioning in up to 50% of patients declared dead by neurologic criteria. Therefore, up to 50% of patients declared dead under the whole-brain criterion for death are false-positive misdiagnoses. Numerous responses have been offered to explain why preserved hypothalamic function is consistent with the whole-brain criterion for death. All these responses fail.
Keywords
- Brain death
- Hypothalamus
- Diabetes insipidus
- False positive
- Determination of death by neurologic criteria
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Acknowledgments
Some of the ideas for this chapter are drawn from an earlier published manuscript [14]. I gratefully acknowledge my coauthor Dr. Ari Joffe for collaboration on this earlier paper, and thank him for permission to rearticulate some of those ideas in the present chapter.
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Nair-Collins, M. (2022). Preserved Hypothalamic Function Is Not Consistent with the Whole-Brain Criterion for Death. In: Lewis, A., Bernat, J.L. (eds) Death Determination by Neurologic Criteria. Advances in Neuroethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15947-3_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15947-3_7
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