What does a diagnosis of brain death mean to family members approached about organ donation? A review of the literature
What does a diagnosis of brain death mean to family members approached about organ donation? A review of the literature
Background - What a diagnosis of brain stem death (the term used in the United Kingdom) or brain death (the term used in the United States) means to the family members of potential organ donors is an important issue to explore as biomedicine moves to expand the range of end-of-life technologies that, potentially, blur the demarcation between life and death.
Objective - To provide some insights into how a diagnosis of brain stem death or brain death may be perceived by family members approached about organ donation.
Methods - A review of the literature regarding organ donation was carried out.
Results - Although most publications do not focus specifically on the concept of brain death, those that do so made a valuable contribution, offering potential theoretical frameworks to aid our understanding of what the diagnosis of death by brain-based criteria means to family members of potential organ donors. The diagnosis of brain death is intricately linked to the issue of organ donation and may influence family members' decision making. Also, the perception that death has occurred differs from one person to another.
Conclusions - A sustained increase in the number of organs available for transplantation may never be achieved until the concepts of brain death, brain stem death, and now non-heart beating death (1) are debated more widely within society; (2) a greater degree of consensus is reached within health care; and (3) bereaved family members approached to donate the organs of their deceased relative have a better understanding of what these diagnoses mean.
brain death, brain stem death, non-beating-heart death, brain-based criteria, organ donors, transplantation
118-126
Long, Tracy
92a6d1ba-9ec9-43f2-891e-5bfdb5026532
Sque, Magi
cf51892a-93cb-4167-965c-647970c9896e
Addington-Hall, Julia
87560cc4-7562-4f9b-b908-81f3b603fdd8
June 2008
Long, Tracy
92a6d1ba-9ec9-43f2-891e-5bfdb5026532
Sque, Magi
cf51892a-93cb-4167-965c-647970c9896e
Addington-Hall, Julia
87560cc4-7562-4f9b-b908-81f3b603fdd8
Long, Tracy, Sque, Magi and Addington-Hall, Julia
(2008)
What does a diagnosis of brain death mean to family members approached about organ donation? A review of the literature.
Progress in Transplantation, 18 (2), .
Abstract
Background - What a diagnosis of brain stem death (the term used in the United Kingdom) or brain death (the term used in the United States) means to the family members of potential organ donors is an important issue to explore as biomedicine moves to expand the range of end-of-life technologies that, potentially, blur the demarcation between life and death.
Objective - To provide some insights into how a diagnosis of brain stem death or brain death may be perceived by family members approached about organ donation.
Methods - A review of the literature regarding organ donation was carried out.
Results - Although most publications do not focus specifically on the concept of brain death, those that do so made a valuable contribution, offering potential theoretical frameworks to aid our understanding of what the diagnosis of death by brain-based criteria means to family members of potential organ donors. The diagnosis of brain death is intricately linked to the issue of organ donation and may influence family members' decision making. Also, the perception that death has occurred differs from one person to another.
Conclusions - A sustained increase in the number of organs available for transplantation may never be achieved until the concepts of brain death, brain stem death, and now non-heart beating death (1) are debated more widely within society; (2) a greater degree of consensus is reached within health care; and (3) bereaved family members approached to donate the organs of their deceased relative have a better understanding of what these diagnoses mean.
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Published date: June 2008
Keywords:
brain death, brain stem death, non-beating-heart death, brain-based criteria, organ donors, transplantation
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Local EPrints ID: 54129
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/54129
PURE UUID: a3d91b20-46b8-4f22-8c64-8b0af4c0c8dc
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Date deposited: 19 Sep 2008
Last modified: 09 Jan 2022 03:08
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Author:
Magi Sque
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