Brain death: Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem. A person who is brain dead is dead, with no chance of revival.
The difference between brain death and a vegetative state (a disorder of consciousness), which can happen after extensive brain damage, is that it's possible to recover from a vegetative state, but brain death is permanent.
After 10 minutes without oxygen , brain death occurs. Brain death means there is no brain activity. A person needs life support measures like a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe and stay alive.
People in a vegetative state can do some things because some parts of the brain are functioning: They can open their eyes.
Some people recover from a vegetative state, but it is usually not a complete recovery. The brain damage will likely result in permanent disabilities. Recovery is most likely if the cause of the vegetative state is an injury or a reversible condition such as low blood sugar or a drug overdose.
Brain death is a legal definition of death. It is the complete stopping of all brain function and cannot be reversed. It means that, because of extreme and serious trauma or injury to the brain, the body's blood supply to the brain is blocked, and the brain dies. Brain death is death.
Spontaneous Movements Often Occur After Brain Death. ST. PAUL, MN - Many brain-dead patients have spontaneous movements such as jerking of fingers or bending of toes that can be disturbing to family members and health care professionals and even cause them to question the brain-death diagnosis.
Variability in the diagnosis of brain death has the potential to lead to misdiagnosis. Even in the clearest circumstances, families may have difficulty accepting a diagnosis of brain death when they see their loved one's heart still beating and feel their body warm to the touch.
Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up your brain. Read, take courses, try "mental gymnastics," such as word puzzles or math problems Experiment with things that require manual dexterity as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts.
An unexpected discovery made by an international team, examining the results of an EEG on an elderly patient, who died suddenly of a heart attack while the test was in progress.
After the first clinical exam, the patient should be observed for a defined period of time for clinical manifestations that are inconsistent with the diagnosis of brain death. Most experts agree that a 6 hour observation period is sufficient and reasonable in adults and children over the age of 1 year.
The diagnosis of brain death is primarily clinical. No other tests are required if the full clinical examination, including an assessment of brain stem reflexes and an apnea test, is conclusively performed.
Spontaneous and reflex movements may occur in brain-dead patients. These movements originate from spinal cord neurons and do not preclude a brain-death diagnosis. In this study, we sought to determine the frequency and characteristics of motor movements in patients who fulfilled diagnostic criteria for brain death.
After discontinuation of ventilation without proper preparation, excessive respiratory secretion is common, resulting in a 'death rattle'. Post-extubation stridor can give rise to the relatives' perception that the patient is choking and suffering.
Someone who is in a coma is unconscious and has minimal brain activity. They're alive, but can't be woken up and show no signs of being aware. The person's eyes will be closed and they'll appear to be unresponsive to their environment.
Some injuries are mild; they may cause minor changes in consciousness such as brief confusion. Severe injuries can cause permanent unconsciousness. Of people with severe injuries, 60% to 80% survive. Many of those who survive are completely unconscious for some period.
Recovery from a vegetative state is unlikely after 1 month if brain damage is nontraumatic and after 12 months if brain damage is traumatic. Even if some recovery occurs after these intervals, most patients are severely disabled.
A person may enter a minimally conscious state after being in a coma or vegetative state. In some cases a minimally conscious state is a stage on the route to recovery, but in others it's permanent. As with vegetative state, a continuing minimally conscious state means it's lasted longer than 4 weeks.
Time is very important when an unconscious person is not breathing. Permanent brain damage begins after only 4 minutes without oxygen, and death can occur as soon as 4 to 6 minutes later.
Death just became even more scary: scientists say people are aware they're dead because their consciousness continues to work after the body has stopped showing signs of life. That means that, theoretically, someone may even hear their own death being announced by medics.
In particular, the temporal lobe (at the temples) is sensitive to oxygen deficiency which is also where the memory is situated. A lack of oxygen from three to nine minutes can result in irreversible brain damage!
No, you cannot heal a damaged brain. Medical treatments can just help to stop further damage and limit the functional loss from the damage. The healing process of the brain is not the same as the skin. When the skin gets damaged, such as due to minor skin wounds, it usually heals wells without leaving scars.