reported a collection of 175 “brain-dead patients,” whose survival extended well beyond the few days (48–72 hours) claimed to be the maximum limit after the declaration of “brain death.” There have been additional cases since then, in particular the well-publicized McMath case, whose clinical and laboratory data no ...
But without a ventilator to keep blood and oxygen moving, this beating would stop very quickly, usually in less than an hour, Greene-Chandos said. With just a ventilator, some biological processes — including kidney and gastric functions — can continue for about a week, Greene-Chandos said.
Occasionally, a person's limbs or torso (the upper part of the body) may move, even after brain stem death has been diagnosed. These spinal reflex movements are generated by the spinal cord and don't involve the brain at all.
As long as the heart has oxygen, it can continue to work. The ventilator provides enough oxygen to keep the heart beating for several hours. Without this artificial help, the heart would stop beating.
The three essential findings in brain death are coma, absence of brain stem reflexes, and apnea. An evaluation for brain death should be considered in patients who have suffered a massive, irreversible brain injury of identifiable cause.
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.
The three essential findings in brain death are coma, absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnoea.
If my loved one is dead, why does the heart continue to beat? The heart is part of the autonomic nervous system and thus has the ability to beat independently of the brain as long as it has oxygen. The heart will eventually stop beating as all bodily systems begin to stop working shortly after brain death.
Within hours, blood is pulled downwards, causing splotches on the skin. Because the heart is no longer pumping blood around the body, it starts being pulled down by gravity. As the blood pools, patches appear on the skin within 30 minutes of death.
In time, the heart stops and they stop breathing. Within a few minutes, their brain stops functioning entirely and their skin starts to cool. At this point, they have died.
Of the 38 patients, 15 had these motor movements. In all cases, the movements were seen in the first 24 hours after brain death diagnosis, and no movements were seen after 72 hours. Some of the movements occurred spontaneously; others were triggered by touch.
Agonal breathing or agonal gasps are the last reflexes of the dying brain. They are generally viewed as a sign of death, and can happen after the heart has stopped beating.
Most people who remain in a vegetative state die within 6 months of the original brain damage. Most of the others live about 2 to 5 years. The cause of death is often a respiratory or urinary tract infection or severe malfunction (failure) of several organs. But death may occur suddenly, and the cause may be unknown.
Souls often leave their body moments before actual death when the body is in greatest pain. The soul then travels through what looks like a black tunnel but is actually a Spiritual passage towards a golden white light. The light looks like a pinpoint but seems to expand as the Soul gets closer to it.
For the first few minutes of the postmortem period, brain cells may survive. The heart can keep beating without its blood supply. A healthy liver continues breaking down alcohol. And if a technician strikes your thigh above the kneecap, your leg likely kicks, just as it did at your last reflex test with a physician.
Livor Mortis (Lividity) is the settling of blood in body due to gravity. Livor Mortis starts to develop 2-4 hours after death, becomes non-fixed or blanchable up to 8-12 hours after death and fixed or non-blanchable after 8-12 hours from the time of death.
A conscious dying person can know if they are on the verge of dying. Some feel immense pain for hours before dying, while others die in seconds. This awareness of approaching death is most pronounced in people with terminal conditions such as cancer.
A comatose patient may open his eyes, move and even cry while still remaining unconscious. His brain-stem reflexes are attached to a nonfunctioning cortex. Reflex without reflection.
Open eyes at death may be interpreted as an indication that the deceased is fearful of the future, presumably because of past behaviors.
A person who is brain dead is legally confirmed as dead. They have no chance of recovery because their body is unable to survive without artificial life support.
Choosing to remove life support usually means that the person will die within hours or days. The timing depends on what treatment is stopped. People tend to stop breathing and die soon after a ventilator shuts off, though some do start breathing again on their own.
No treatment can help a person who is brain dead. A diagnosis of brain death is equivalent to a person's death.
Brain death results from swelling in the brain; blood flow in the brain ceases and without blood to oxygenate the cells, the tissue dies. It is irreversible. Once brain tissue dies, there is nothing that can be done to heal it.