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Brainstem death is a clinical syndrome defined by the absence of reflexes with pathways through the brainstem – the "stalk" of the brain, which connects the spinal cord to the mid-brain, cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres – in a deeply comatose, ventilator-dependent patient.
Brain death; Other names: Brain stem death: A brain-dead patient. The patient can also be seen here executing the Lazarus sign. Specialty: Neurology, neurosurgery, palliative care, critical care medicine: Complications: Total organ failure: Causes: Cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, stroke, blood clot: Diagnostic method: Stimulation testing ...
Brain death - Lazarus sign The Lazarus sign or Lazarus reflex is a reflex movement in brain-dead or brainstem failure patients, [ 1 ] which causes them to briefly raise their arms and drop them crossed on their chests (in a position similar to some Egyptian mummies ).
The rupture of these vessels leads to linear or flamed shaped hemorrhages. The disrupted brainstem can lead to decorticate posture, respiratory center depression and death. Other possibilities resulting from brain stem distortion include lethargy, slow heart rate, and pupil dilation. [9] Uncal herniation may advance to central herniation. [7]
In the human brain the brainstem is composed of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. [1] The midbrain is continuous with the thalamus of the diencephalon through the tentorial notch, and sometimes the diencephalon is included in the brainstem. [2] The brainstem is very small, making up around only 2.6 percent of the brain's total ...
Brain death is one of the deciding factors when pronouncing a trauma patient as dead. Determining function and presence of necrosis after trauma to the whole brain or brain-stem may be used to determine brain death, and is used in many states in the US.
Per the United Kingdom Medical Royal Colleges, a diagnosis of brain death is a two-fold process including 1) identifying the cause of irreversible brain damage and excluding reversible causes of brain damage and 2) conducting a series of clinical and laboratory tests to assess brain stem function. [7] [8]
Determination of Death. An individual who has sustained either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem, is dead. A determination of death must be made in accordance with accepted medical standards.