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Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie

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Open Access 02-05-2023 | Brain Death | Reflections

Knowledge gaps in the definition and determination of death

Authors: Guillaume Maitre, MD, Sam D. Shemie, MD, Andrew Baker, MD, Michaël Chassé, MD, PhD, Laura Hornby, MSc, Aimee J. Sarti, MD, Jeanne Teitelbaum, MD, Sonny Dhanani, MD

Published in: Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie | Issue 4/2023

Excerpt

Current practices for determining death by neurologic criteria (DNC) and death by circulatory criteria (DCC) are mainly based on guidelines developed by a consensus process relying heavily on foundational historical practices. Death by neurologic criteria was rooted in the Harvard ad hoc criteria¹ with 50 years of progressive evolution to the World Brain Death Project,² but suffers from insufficient direct evidence, and therefore, perpetual debate and unresolved controversies.^3,4 Death by circulatory criteria has been derived from consensus and expert “accepted medical practices.”⁵ While death affects every one of us, the scientific research base for determining death remains in early development, and many questions surrounding the dying process and death in critical care remain unanswered. …

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Title: Knowledge gaps in the definition and determination of death
Authors: Guillaume Maitre, MD
Sam D. Shemie, MD
Andrew Baker, MD
Michaël Chassé, MD, PhD
Laura Hornby, MSc
Aimee J. Sarti, MD
Jeanne Teitelbaum, MD
Sonny Dhanani, MD
Publication date: 02-05-2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Keyword: Brain Death
Published in: Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie / Issue 4/2023
Print ISSN: 0832-610X
Electronic ISSN: 1496-8975
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-023-02422-5

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Knowledge gaps in the definition and determination of death

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