In response to the July 30 letter to the editor, brain death is legally and medically defined as death. Brain death means a complete and irreversible loss of AU brain function. Brain death can result from catastrophic head injuries, strokes, or heart attacks that deprive the brain of oxygen. Mechanical ventilation can temporarily maintain breathing and heart rate, and other organs can work for a short time. In brain death, severe permanent damage to your entire brain and brain stem occurs.
Your brain stem manages your breathing and heart rate. Your brain manages senses like sight, sound, and touch, and abilities like motor movement. Unlike a coma, where some brain activity remains and recovery may be possible, brain death cannot be reversed.
Brain deaths are uncommon in the U.S. 2% of all AU adult hospital deaths. Medical professionals who are not part of the donation and transplant process, and have special training in brain death to extensive testing to determine brain death. Some of these tests include colon, physical exam, brain, MRI, neurological exam. (checking of choking reflex. eye reflexes, and pupils’ response to light) and in apnea test, when providers briefly stop ventilator support to see if you take a breath on your own. Spinal cord reflexes can cause movements in a brain dead person and are caused by electrical impulses that remain in the spinal column.
Though rare, movements can occur in the eyes. These movements are not voluntary and do not indicate consciousness or pain perception. Brain dead individuals do not feel pain as the brain in this state is incapable of processing any sensory information, including pain.
Amount of time organs can remain viable for transplant after being outside the body: heart - 4 to 6 hours; lungs - 4 to 6 hours; liver - 8 to 12 hours; kidney - 24 to 36 hours’ intestines - 8 to 16 hours; pancreas - 12 to 18 hours; cornea - 48 hours; tissue - stored until needed. Please consider signing up for organ donation. You may save someone’s life.
Resources: Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Scipps Health Foundation, Donor Alliance, Inc., Donate Life America, Advancedstudy.org, United Network for Organ Sharing.
Bob Giambalvo
Delhi
