U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Brain Death

MedGen UID:
646
Concept ID:
C0006110
Pathologic Function
Synonyms: Brain Dead; Brain Deads; Coma Depasse; Death, Brain

Definition

Irreversible absence of cortical and brain stem functioning. [from NCI]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVBrain Death

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Greer DM, Kirschen MP, Lewis A, Gronseth GS, Rae-Grant A, Ashwal S, Babu MA, Bauer DF, Billinghurst L, Corey A, Partap S, Rubin MA, Shutter L, Takahashi C, Tasker RC, Varelas PN, Wijdicks E, Bennett A, Wessels SR, Halperin JJ
Neurology 2023 Dec 12;101(24):1112-1132. Epub 2023 Oct 11 doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207740. PMID: 37821233Free PMC Article
Yoshikawa MH, Rabelo NN, Welling LC, Telles JPM, Figueiredo EG
Neurol Sci 2021 Sep;42(9):3541-3552. Epub 2021 Jun 17 doi: 10.1007/s10072-021-05360-6. PMID: 34138388Free PMC Article
Greer DM, Shemie SD, Lewis A, Torrance S, Varelas P, Goldenberg FD, Bernat JL, Souter M, Topcuoglu MA, Alexandrov AW, Baldisseri M, Bleck T, Citerio G, Dawson R, Hoppe A, Jacobe S, Manara A, Nakagawa TA, Pope TM, Silvester W, Thomson D, Al Rahma H, Badenes R, Baker AJ, Cerny V, Chang C, Chang TR, Gnedovskaya E, Han MK, Honeybul S, Jimenez E, Kuroda Y, Liu G, Mallick UK, Marquevich V, Mejia-Mantilla J, Piradov M, Quayyum S, Shrestha GS, Su YY, Timmons SD, Teitelbaum J, Videtta W, Zirpe K, Sung G
JAMA 2020 Sep 15;324(11):1078-1097. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.11586. PMID: 32761206

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Schroder JN, Patel CB, DeVore AD, Bryner BS, Casalinova S, Shah A, Smith JW, Fiedler AG, Daneshmand M, Silvestry S, Geirsson A, Pretorius V, Joyce DL, Um JY, Esmailian F, Takeda K, Mudy K, Shudo Y, Salerno CT, Pham SM, Goldstein DJ, Philpott J, Dunning J, Lozonschi L, Couper GS, Mallidi HR, Givertz MM, Pham DT, Shaffer AW, Kai M, Quader MA, Absi T, Attia TS, Shukrallah B, Sun BC, Farr M, Mehra MR, Madsen JC, Milano CA, D'Alessandro DA
N Engl J Med 2023 Jun 8;388(23):2121-2131. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2212438. PMID: 37285526
Shewmon DA, Salamon N
Perspect Biol Med 2021;64(4):457-478. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2021.0036. PMID: 34840151
Migdady I, Rae-Grant A, Greer DM
Neurology 2020 Oct 13;95(15):693-694. Epub 2020 Jul 30 doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010544. PMID: 32732294
Grzonka P, Tisljar K, Rüegg S, Marsch S, Sutter R
J Crit Care 2019 Oct;53:212-217. Epub 2019 Jun 29 doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2019.06.030. PMID: 31277047
Varelas PN, Lewis A
Semin Neurol 2016 Dec;36(6):625-630. Epub 2016 Dec 1 doi: 10.1055/s-0036-1592317. PMID: 27907967

Diagnosis

Yoshikawa MH, Rabelo NN, Welling LC, Telles JPM, Figueiredo EG
Neurol Sci 2021 Sep;42(9):3541-3552. Epub 2021 Jun 17 doi: 10.1007/s10072-021-05360-6. PMID: 34138388Free PMC Article
Walter K
JAMA 2020 Sep 15;324(11):1116. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.15898. PMID: 32930760
Koenig MA, Kaplan PW
Handb Clin Neurol 2019;161:89-102. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-64142-7.00042-4. PMID: 31307622
Spinello IM
J Intensive Care Med 2015 Sep;30(6):326-37. Epub 2013 Nov 12 doi: 10.1177/0885066613511053. PMID: 24227449
Wijdicks EF
Handb Clin Neurol 2013;118:191-203. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53501-6.00016-0. PMID: 24182378

Therapy

Dhar R, Marklin GF, Klinkenberg WD, Wang J, Goss CW, Lele AV, Kensinger CD, Lange PA, Lebovitz DJ
N Engl J Med 2023 Nov 30;389(22):2029-2038. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2305969. PMID: 38048188Free PMC Article
Schroder JN, Patel CB, DeVore AD, Bryner BS, Casalinova S, Shah A, Smith JW, Fiedler AG, Daneshmand M, Silvestry S, Geirsson A, Pretorius V, Joyce DL, Um JY, Esmailian F, Takeda K, Mudy K, Shudo Y, Salerno CT, Pham SM, Goldstein DJ, Philpott J, Dunning J, Lozonschi L, Couper GS, Mallidi HR, Givertz MM, Pham DT, Shaffer AW, Kai M, Quader MA, Absi T, Attia TS, Shukrallah B, Sun BC, Farr M, Mehra MR, Madsen JC, Milano CA, D'Alessandro DA
N Engl J Med 2023 Jun 8;388(23):2121-2131. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2212438. PMID: 37285526
Porrett PM, Orandi BJ, Kumar V, Houp J, Anderson D, Cozette Killian A, Hauptfeld-Dolejsek V, Martin DE, Macedon S, Budd N, Stegner KL, Dandro A, Kokkinaki M, Kuravi KV, Reed RD, Fatima H, Killian JT Jr, Baker G, Perry J, Wright ED, Cheung MD, Erman EN, Kraebber K, Gamblin T, Guy L, George JF, Ayares D, Locke JE
Am J Transplant 2022 Apr;22(4):1037-1053. Epub 2022 Jan 20 doi: 10.1111/ajt.16930. PMID: 35049121
Greer DM, Shemie SD, Lewis A, Torrance S, Varelas P, Goldenberg FD, Bernat JL, Souter M, Topcuoglu MA, Alexandrov AW, Baldisseri M, Bleck T, Citerio G, Dawson R, Hoppe A, Jacobe S, Manara A, Nakagawa TA, Pope TM, Silvester W, Thomson D, Al Rahma H, Badenes R, Baker AJ, Cerny V, Chang C, Chang TR, Gnedovskaya E, Han MK, Honeybul S, Jimenez E, Kuroda Y, Liu G, Mallick UK, Marquevich V, Mejia-Mantilla J, Piradov M, Quayyum S, Shrestha GS, Su YY, Timmons SD, Teitelbaum J, Videtta W, Zirpe K, Sung G
JAMA 2020 Sep 15;324(11):1078-1097. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.11586. PMID: 32761206
Meyfroidt G, Gunst J, Martin-Loeches I, Smith M, Robba C, Taccone FS, Citerio G
Intensive Care Med 2019 Mar;45(3):343-353. Epub 2019 Feb 11 doi: 10.1007/s00134-019-05551-y. PMID: 30741327Free PMC Article

Prognosis

Müller PC, Kabacam G, Vibert E, Germani G, Petrowsky H
Int J Surg 2020 Oct;82S:22-29. Epub 2020 May 23 doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.05.062. PMID: 32454252
Essien EO, Fioretti K, Scalea TM, Stein DM
Am Surg 2017 Aug 1;83(8):850-854. doi: 10.1177/000313481708300835. PMID: 28822390
Eijking DP, Reichert CL, Wagenvoort AM, Van Geel BM, Toornvliet AC, Honing ML
Resuscitation 2009 Nov;80(11):1318-20. Epub 2009 Aug 21 doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2009.07.009. PMID: 19699573
Buell JF, Beebe TM, Trofe J, Gross TG, Alloway RR, Hanaway MJ, Woodle ES
Ann Transplant 2004;9(1):53-6. PMID: 15478892
Brenner RP
Epilepsia 2002;43 Suppl 3:103-13. doi: 10.1046/j.1528-1157.43.s.3.9.x. PMID: 12060012

Clinical prediction guides

Greer DM, Shemie SD, Lewis A, Torrance S, Varelas P, Goldenberg FD, Bernat JL, Souter M, Topcuoglu MA, Alexandrov AW, Baldisseri M, Bleck T, Citerio G, Dawson R, Hoppe A, Jacobe S, Manara A, Nakagawa TA, Pope TM, Silvester W, Thomson D, Al Rahma H, Badenes R, Baker AJ, Cerny V, Chang C, Chang TR, Gnedovskaya E, Han MK, Honeybul S, Jimenez E, Kuroda Y, Liu G, Mallick UK, Marquevich V, Mejia-Mantilla J, Piradov M, Quayyum S, Shrestha GS, Su YY, Timmons SD, Teitelbaum J, Videtta W, Zirpe K, Sung G
JAMA 2020 Sep 15;324(11):1078-1097. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.11586. PMID: 32761206
Mathur M, Ashwal S
Semin Neurol 2015 Apr;35(2):116-24. Epub 2015 Apr 3 doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1547540. PMID: 25839720
Wijdicks EF
Semin Neurol 2015 Apr;35(2):105-15. Epub 2015 Apr 3 doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1547532. PMID: 25839719
Kirkham FJ, Ashwal S
Handb Clin Neurol 2013;111:43-61. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-52891-9.00005-1. PMID: 23622150
Feng S, Goodrich NP, Bragg-Gresham JL, Dykstra DM, Punch JD, DebRoy MA, Greenstein SM, Merion RM
Am J Transplant 2006 Apr;6(4):783-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2006.01242.x. PMID: 16539636

Recent systematic reviews

Tingle SJ, Dobbins JJ, Thompson ER, Figueiredo RS, Mahendran B, Pandanaboyana S, Wilson C
Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023 Sep 12;9(9):CD014685. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014685.pub2. PMID: 37698189Free PMC Article
Machado C
Neurol India 2022 Mar-Apr;70(2):670-675. doi: 10.4103/0028-3886.344634. PMID: 35532637
Robba C, Goffi A, Geeraerts T, Cardim D, Via G, Czosnyka M, Park S, Sarwal A, Padayachy L, Rasulo F, Citerio G
Intensive Care Med 2019 Jul;45(7):913-927. Epub 2019 Apr 25 doi: 10.1007/s00134-019-05610-4. PMID: 31025061
Chang JJ, Tsivgoulis G, Katsanos AH, Malkoff MD, Alexandrov AV
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2016 Mar;37(3):408-14. Epub 2015 Oct 29 doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A4548. PMID: 26514611Free PMC Article
Pope TM
J Clin Ethics 2014 Fall;25(3):245-57. PMID: 25192349

Supplemental Content

Table of contents

    Practice guidelines

    • PubMed
      See practice and clinical guidelines in PubMed. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.
    • Bookshelf
      See practice and clinical guidelines in NCBI Bookshelf. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Recent activity

    Your browsing activity is empty.

    Activity recording is turned off.

    Turn recording back on

    See more...