• Question: what is meant by brain death

    Asked by to Del, Catherine, John, Krishna, Mo Rassul on 16 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Catherine Mansfield

      Catherine Mansfield answered on 16 Mar 2014:

      Brain death is the complete and irreversible loss of brain activity, however, some areas of the brain can die whilst other areas remain alive. Usually when a person is declared brain dead it means that they have lost the function of their ‘brainstem’. This is the area of the brain that controls all of the bodies functions which we do not consciously control and that are required to sustain life (such as heart rate and breathing). So when someone is declared brain dead they will usually not be able to recover and are considered dead.

    • Photo: John Foster

      John Foster answered on 16 Mar 2014:

      Brain death can occur when the brain stops getting oxygen. This can can happen as a result of a heat attack, a stroke or a clot that causes blockage of important blood vessels. Infections of the brain or brain tumours can also lead to brain death.

    • Photo: Krishna Mohan Surapaneni

      Krishna Mohan Surapaneni answered on 17 Mar 2014:

      Brain death means….. DAMAGE TO THE BRAIN WHICH CAN NOT BE REVERSED (IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE), leading to failure in the respiration, which is an indicator for DEATH of the person

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