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Brain death is used as an indicator of legal death in many jurisdictions, [6] but it is defined inconsistently and often confused by the public. [7] Various parts of the brain may keep functioning when others do not anymore, and the term "brain death" has been used to refer to various combinations.
The certification applies to somatic death, corresponding to death of the person, which has varying definitions but most commonly describes a lack of vital signs and brain function. [9] Death at the level of cells, called molecular death or cell death , follows a matter of hours later. [ 10 ]
Over time, brain death became the more popular definition of biological death, and doctors codified this view in a 2019 position statement by the American Academy of Neurology.
The phenomenon has been observed to occur several minutes after the removal of medical ventilators used to pump air in and out of brain-dead patients. [4] It also occurs during testing for apnea—that is, suspension of external breathing and motion of the lung muscles—which is one of the criteria for determining brain death used for example by the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers studying the brain’s final moments have gained new insight into the “wave of death” that occurs before a brain’s activity fully flatlines. When neural activity stops, it doesn ...
Near-death experiences. What happened to Osteen that winter day is what experts call a “near-death experience.” It can occur when doctors bring a person back to life after the heart flatlines ...
Brain death is sometimes used as a legal definition of death. [15] For all organisms with a brain, death can instead be focused on this organ. [16] [17] The cause of death is usually considered important and an autopsy can be done. There are many causes, from accidents to diseases.
This confirms the absence of neuronal function in the whole brain. Patients classified as brain dead are legally dead and can qualify as organ donors, in which their organs are surgically removed and prepared for a particular recipient. [citation needed] Brain death is one of the deciding factors when pronouncing a trauma patient as dead.