Did you know that one of the tests to ascertain brain death, is to potentially add more injury using a 10 minute apnea test? (This means turning off the ventilator and waiting to see if the patient can breathe on his own during a 10 minute period.) Dr. Cicero Coimbra, a neurologist in Brazil, argues that the test isn’t such a bright idea, and is a contributing cause of deaths.
Here’s a fun debate regarding the ethical considerations of brain death and its diagnosis, held at the BMJ.
R U a medical type?
