Overview of approach to brain death


Pursuing a diagnosis of brain death too early may lead to premature diagnostic closure.  The initial approach to the patient should focus on supportive care and thoughtful investigation of coma.  Brain death evaluation should be pursued in patients with no brain activity on neurologic examination, a mechanism of injury compatible with brain death (e.g. cardiac arrest, massive intracranial hemorrhage), and neuroimaging consistent with brain death (e.g. herniation, diffuse edema).


#Diagnosis #CriticalCare #BrainDeath #Dead #Algorithm