What is brain death?

• WHAT IS "BRAIN DEATH" AND HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?

  The concept of total "brain death" as an alternative to the older definition of irreversible circulatory-respiratory failure was first introduced in a 1968 report authored by a special committee of the Harvard Medical School...»»

• Death: The last taboo

  Brain death (irreversible cessation of all function of the brain) normally occurs after a stroke, or an impact that causes the brain to swell and push against the skull, preventing blood from flowing to the brain. In the absence of oxygenated blood, brain cells quickly die... »»

• The term "Brain Death"

  The term "Brain Death" has an ominous implication, and rightfully so, but is occasionally wrongfully used with tragic consequences.
  Brain death is defined by medical authorities as irreversible cessation of all brain activity. Simply stated, this means that the brain is no longer alive and cannot be brought back to life... »»

• Understanding Brain Death. By Paul A. Byrne, M.D.

  Legislation to establish "brain-related" criteria for death has uniformly confounded irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain with death of the human person. Much of the confusion has come from widespread misunderstanding of how the word "death" has been used and what it has meant. Cessation of all functions of the entire brain, whether irreversible or not, has not been linked necessarily to total destruction of the brain or to death of the person... »»

• Brain Death: Presentation by Gabriel Soudry, MD and J Stevan Nagel, MD

  A 47-year-old man was working on his boat when he fell to the ground unconscious. He was taken to a local emergency ward where a head CT showed a large brainstem hemorrhage...
  On Tc-99m HMPAO brain scintigraphy, the initial anterior flow study and subsequent planar views in the anterior and lateral projections demonstrate no appreciable intracerebral blood flow in either the internal carotid or posterior cerebral circulations.
  Diagnosis: Brain death »»
  

Organizations

• Safar Center for Resuscitation Research

  The Safar Center for Resuscitation Research of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine addresses "resuscitation medicine" in its broadest sense through programs studying traumatic brain injury, cardiopulmonary arrest, hemorrhagic shock and suspended animation... »»

• Center for Neuronal Survival at the Montreal NIH, McGill University

  A research group dedicated to the study and promotion of nerve cell survival. Neuroscientists investigate mechanisms of nerve cell death occurring as a result of stroke, epilepsy, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases... »»

• Coma Recovery Association, Inc.

  Coma Recovery Association, Inc. is a non-profit support organization for coma and brain injury survivors, family members, friends and professionals... »»

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

  The nation's leading supporter of biomedical research on disorders of the brain and nervous system... »»

• Univesitaetklinik fuer Anaesthesiologie in Heidelberg

  Coordinator of the European Resuscitation Council Working Group "Clinical and Experimental Investigation". »»

• Society for Neuroscience

  The Society for Neuroscience is a nonprofit membership organization of basic scientists and physicians who study the brain and nervous system. Neuroscience includes the study of brain development, sensation and perception, learning and memory, movement, sleep, stress, aging and neurological and psychiatric disorders... »»

Religious Views On Brain Death

• Religious interpretations of NDEs (near-death experience) by Dr. David San Filippo

Cryonics

• Alcor

  Alcor Life extension Foundation. In the early part of 2004, Alcor had more than 650 members, and 59 patients in cryopreservation... »»

• The Cryonic Institute

  The Cryonics Institute offers cryonic suspension services and information. As soon as possible after legal death, a member patient is prepared and cooled to a temperature where physical decay essentially stops, and is then maintained indefinitely in cryostasis. When and if future medical technology allows, our member patients hope to be healed and revived, and awaken to extended life in youthful good health... »»

• American Cryonics Society

  What is Cryonics?
  Cryonics is a recently coined word referring to the practice of preserving the whole body, head, or brain, of persons recently declared legally dead, in the hope of revival at some time in the future. »»

• CryoNet

  Human cryopreservation (cryonics) is an experimental procedure whereby patients who no longer can be kept alive with today's medical abilities are preserved at low temperature for treatment in the future... »»

• Cryonics Europe

  Cryonics Europe is a support and discussion group, based in Sussex, for people in Britain and the rest of Europe who are signed up for cryopreservation or who are considering it... »»

Networks Related To Brain Death

• Network for the Definition of Death

  This is a very good network related to brain death problem! »»

• Websites related to life extension and transhumanity

  It's a very interesting network of Charles Tandy, Ph.D. related to life extension problem and cryonics... »»

Persistent Vegetative State

• Coma and Persistent Vegetative State

• International Working Party Report On The Vegetative State - 1996

Research Publications Related To Brain Death

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• Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion

  "Biochemical Mechanism and Tissue Injury of Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion", H. Islekel et al...
  Although early reperfusion of ischemic tissue is important for the preservation of tissue viability, it is generally accepted that the reintroduction of flow causes the conversion of some reversibly injured cells to a state of irreversible injury...
  Very interesting manuscript!!! »»
  

• Nedzved MK, Sheleg SV, Gerasimova TN, Oleshkevich FV, Wolf N. Morphologic changes of human cerebral cortex neurons under long duration anoxia. Health Care (Belarus). 2003;7; 10-12.

• Room Air Appears To Do Less Brain Damage Than Pure Oxygen

  Fiskum and Rosenthal compared levels of oxidation of brain lipids -- fatty acids and fat-like substances that maintain vital metabolic functions -- in animal models resuscitated after 10 minutes of cardiac arrest. In those given 100 percent oxygen, free-radical levels were significantly higher than in those resuscitated using the oxygen ratio found in room air.
  When neurological deficits were measured, the animals resuscitated with 21 percent oxygen showed less brain damage than those resuscitated with 100 percent oxygen, the researchers report. »»

Books Related To Brain Death

Twice Dead by Margaret Lock	Definition of Death by Stuart J. Youngner et al.	Organ Transplantation by Stuart J. Youngner et al.
Brain Repair by Donald G. Stein et al.	Coma and Impaired Consciousness by by G. Bryan Young et al.	Brain Death: Philosophical Concepts by Tom Russell
The Ethics of Organ Transplants by Caplan & Coelho	ABC of Brain Stem Death by Pallis & Harley

Death And Reanimation In Art

• The first reanimation!

  Attempting Galvanic Reanimation of the Dead! »»

• "Heart Anatomy"

• The point of no return!

• The reanimation attemp!

Movies

Re-animator

Sleeping Beauty

Coma

Science Fiction

• Herbert West: Reanimator by H.P.Lovecraft

Jokes!

• Reanimation Device

  This is a perfect reanimation device! »»

Games!

• Hangman!
  

  Hangman! Most of the words in this game are related to the topic of this site. Don't allow to hang yourself! »»