What’s brain death?

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Brain death is the irreversible loss of brain function, which can be diagnosed through an electroencephalogram. Life support machines can keep a body alive temporarily, but recovery is unlikely. Brain death can be caused by trauma or lack of oxygen.

Brain death is the complete and irreversible loss of brain function. In most cases, it’s most commonly associated with physical death, but it doesn’t have to be. Instead, there are times when a body can be kept alive, usually by artificial or mechanical means, even if there is no brain function. This is when the term brain death, or brain death, is most often used.

Through advances in modern science, human beings have learned to keep a body alive beyond a point that natural means alone could achieve. However, doing so comes at a price. Usually, for the person involved, this is a desperate attempt to save them when doctors may think recovery is still possible. Therefore, in most cases, the use of such machines is only temporary until further evaluations are possible and a diagnosis of brain death can be made.

Determination of brain death is usually done by the use of an electroencephalogram. This device measures electrical impulses in the brain, which is how brain cells communicate with each other. If no electrical impulses are detected, at least in some regions of the brain, there is no communication. If there is no communication, a diagnosis of brain death becomes a very likely scenario.

Brain deaths can occur when the person is close enough to the hospital for medical personnel to keep the heart beating and oxygen and nutrients flowing to the body’s cells, even if there is no brain activity. As stated earlier, this is usually done before it can be determined whether brain activity has ceased. Once this happens, there is little chance of recovery. However, the decision to put a person on life support machines is usually left to the family after consulting the doctor.

Brain death can occur from many different factors, but oxygen is the key to it all. While they may not be related at all, they can cause similar things in the brain. For example, different forms of trauma can cause bleeding and swelling in the brain. This could cause the brain to stop functioning. If the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, a condition known as anoxia, it will also start to die. Indirectly, anoxia is responsible for all brain deaths. For example, in cases where the brain swells, intercranial pressure can cause blood flow to stop, resulting in a condition where oxygen can no longer reach the brain.




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