Neurology Group: Universal Definition of Brain Death Needed

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) calls for a uniform definition of brain death.

In Neurology, the group endorses the position of the 1981 Uniform Determination of Death Act, which says that brain death has occurred when all functions of the brain, including the brain stem, have been irreversibly lost. Brain death is primarily determined by clinical assessment.

Widely used medical guidelines on brain death standards include the AAN's 2010 guidelines for adults and 2011 guidelines for infants and children, published by the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Child Neurology Society. Adherence to these guidelines has not led to any instances of inaccurate determination of death with return of significant brain function, the group says. However, only Nevada has passed a law saying these guidelines should serve as the medical standard. The AAN recommends that every state adopt similar legislation.

The AAN also lays out clinical guidance for when family members may not accept a determination of brain death.