NUR2790 Professional Nursing III

Module 9 Discussion

Brain Death: Ethical Considerations

Your patient is a 23-year-old female with a history of headaches. This morning she was experiencing a really bad headache as her boyfriend was driving her to the university. He thought she was sleeping and by the time they got to the school, 45 minutes later, she was not waking up. She was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm and you are taking care of her in the Neurological ICU.

What testing do you expect to be performed to diagnose brain death?

What is the procedure when a patient is determined to be brain dead?

Who should approach the family about organ donation?

The family is approached about organ donation. The patient indicated on her driver’s license that she wanted to be an organ donor. Her mother refuses to consent for organ donation.

Do you think donation should happen anyway? Why or why not?

What will be the ethical consequences of your decision?

Rasmussen NUR2790 Module 9 Discussion

 

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Brain Death: Ethical Considerations

Introduction

Brain death is a medical diagnosis that refers to the irreversible loss of brain function. It is often used in cases when there is no longer any heartbeat or breathing with intact brain function, as well as in situations where there are severe head injuries. However, not all medical professionals agree on how this definition should be applied legally when determining who can make decisions about an individual’s life and death.

Brain death is a bit of a grey area.

Brain death is a bit of a grey area. It’s not the same as brain stem death, coma, or vegetative state. Brain death is a legal definition that refers to the absence of all brain function (1). This means that there are no electrical signals passing through your body at any point in time—your heart and lungs still beat, but you don’t respond to stimuli from outside sources like light or sound; you can’t move anything except for voluntary muscle contractions; and all other bodily functions stop working as well (2).

The medical community has debated whether this condition should be considered dead under any circumstances since its discovery over two hundred years ago by Franz Kleinjung in 1811 (3). While some argue that brain stem dead patients should be considered alive because they’re still able to breathe on their own without help from machines like ventilators or respirators which keep air flowing into their lungs while keeping them alive outside traditional hospital environments such as intensive care units where these devices might need replacing more often than usual due partially because they consume lots more energy than regular ones do which means less fuel available elsewhere throughout society where needs need met too–others disagree strongly with both viewpoints claiming instead only physical damage caused by blunt force trauma could ever cause such effects resulting only temporary damage before healing itself back up again once healed enough so long as there aren’t any permanent injuries caused during transport off site either way between getting transported out first thing tomorrow morning then coming back later tonight after dinner around 9pm Eastern Standard Time so long

Wrongful life claims may be made from brain death incidents.

Wrongful life claims may be made from brain death incidents. The claim is that the parents should have been informed of the risk of having a disabled child and therefore could have avoided giving birth to such a child.

The argument is not about whether or not it’s ethical for someone with severe disabilities to live, but rather about whether or not there should be an obligation on society to provide care for those who are unable to provide it themselves.

Understandably, it is difficult for families to accept death when the heart is still beating.

Understandably, it is difficult for families to accept death when the heart is still beating. The concept of brain death is a controversial topic, and it can be difficult to define legally.

In some cases where the body shows no signs of life (such as in cardiac arrest), doctors may decide that patients are brain dead if they do not respond or show any signs or symptoms after having their hearts restarted by CPR. However, even though your loved one’s heart has been restarted and she/he looks like they’re breathing normally again on an EKG machine, there are many other factors involved in determining whether someone has actually died from cardiac arrest: Was there enough damage done? What about those around them who could have saved them if only they knew what was happening? These questions leave us with more questions than answers; however we must use our best judgement when making decisions like these so we can provide comfort to ourselves and others affected by these events.”

Brain death determination should generally be based on several tests.

Brain death determination should generally be based on several tests. These include EEG, CT and MRI scans as well as observation of brainstem reflexes (reflexes that function in response to stimuli in the body). The test results need to be interpreted by a neurologist or neurosurgeon who is experienced with brain death determination. The results can then be used in conjunction with other information about your condition such as vital signs and medications you’re taking at the time of death determination if they appear consistent with a diagnosis other than brain death (such as cardiac arrest).

Brain death determinations should always take place within hospital settings so that there are resources available should something happen during testing that could potentially affect the outcome (e.g., if someone loses consciousness while undergoing testing). It’s important also not only because it allows doctors access to equipment necessary for proper evaluation; but also because some people may not want their loved ones’ bodies kept alive after these tests have been performed—especially if they believe they’ve been cured from their illness(es) prior…

The concept of brain death has been very controversial and difficult to define in a legal way.

Brain death is a medical term, but it’s also quite controversial. There are many people who think that brain death should not be used as the legal definition of death in order to avoid any confusion between living and dead patients. They feel that using this definition would make it easier for people to cheat on their loved ones with insurance money and other benefits without having to pay taxes on them or lose financial support from their families.

These issues were raised before Congress when they were debating whether or not they should pass legislation requiring doctors to report cases where patients experienced complete loss of consciousness before being declared clinically dead (known as “brain stem death”). This was something which had been recommended by some experts within both sides of politics due not only because it could help prevent fraud but also because there could potentially be more efficient use of resources if everyone knew exactly what happened when somebody lost all ability whatsoever for thought processing capability.”

Conclusion

Although the process of determining brain death can be difficult and emotional, it is important that we all make informed decisions about how to proceed with a loved one if they are declared brain dead. Hopefully this article has provided some insights into what you should do when faced with these kinds of situations.