When is “brainstem death” brain death? The case for ancillary testing in primary infratentorial brain lesion

The biological concept of the irreversible cessation of brain function (brain death, BD) occurring while cardiorespiratory function is maintained has been issued already by M. F. Xavier Bichat (1800) and Harvey Cushing (1902), and was systematically developed since the 1950's (Mollaret et al., 1959; Wertheimer et al., 1959; Beecher, 1968, Wijdicks et al., 2010). The primary goal was to establish medico-legal criteria for the termination of mechanical ventilation and intensive medical care in severely brain damaged patients with irreversible coma and fatal outcome.

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