Brain Death
What is it?
Brain death is a severe and irreversible loss of
consciousness in which the brain completely loses all
functions. May also be called irreversible coma.
Who gets it?
Brain death can be present at birth, or can be caused
by outside factors during childhood.
What causes it?
Brain death is caused by any disease or injury that
creates swelling in the brain. Some common causes of brain
death in children include shaken baby syndrome, brain
tumor, traumatic head injury, and stroke.
What are the symptoms?
While the heart still beats, the loss of brain function
means a child who is brain dead cannot breathe without the
help of a respirator. He or she will have no physical
response to pain or pupil response to light. There may be
some reflexive movement if the spinal cord still
functions.
How is it diagnosed?
Every state has a legal definition of brain death that
healthcare professionals use to determine when to
pronounce a patient brain dead. However, there are some
medical conditions, such as hypothermia, sedative-type
drugs, and poisoning, that can create the appearance of
brain death and must be ruled out before a definite
diagnosis is made. With children, doctors generally look
for a complete loss of consciousness combined with absence
of speech, the inability to breathe without a respirator,
and loss of muscle tone. Doctors also look for a complete
loss of functions normally controlled by the brainstem.
These include the gag reflex, spontaneous eye movement,
and movement of the facial muscles. Blood pressure and
body temperature should be normal. A Doppler ultrasound or
electroencephalogram is used to determine whether there is
any electrical activity of the brain. These tests are
performed at regular intervals over a period of at least
12 to 24 hours (48 hours in infants under two months old)
to rule out any reversible causes of the child’s symptoms.
What is the treatment?
There is no treatment to reverse brain death. While the
child can be kept on a respirator to maintain breathing,
death usually occurs very quickly if the respirator is
removed.
Self-Care Tips
Preventative measures can be accomplished by having a
child wear a helmet when riding a bike or other activities
that could result in a fall with a head injury.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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