Criteria for brain death change in infants

• April 23, 2024

The Society of Critical Care Medicine , the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Child Neurological Society updated the clinical guides that modify some criteria of brain death in babies and children.

According to information from Reuters Health, new data, published in the journal Pediatrics, they point out that to diagnose this type of death must coexist coma and the apnea .

"Important changes are associated with the care of children with diseases or injuries serious in more than 25 years. The literature and recommendations were revised from the experience "explained the doctor Thomas A. Nakagawa , of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine , in North Carolina.

"The use of a checklist to ensure compliance and document all steps of the neurological examination and complementary studies, is key to ensuring that the evaluation n of each patient be uniform and standardized, "he added.

The changes support the 1987 guidelines, which recommended carrying out two examinations with a period of observation . So it is suggested to examine babies less than 30 days of life to determine the brain death , since the population data are limited ".

In addition, for the first time, it is requested that neurological exams are practiced by different doctors responsible for the care of a child.

The guidelines determine that "the diagnosis of brain death should never be rushed or have priority over the needs of the patient or the family. We promote conversation with families to help them understand what happened to their child and guide them in that crisis, "the author concluded.

Video Medicine: "Brain Death Examination" by David Urion, MD and Robert Tasker, MBBS, MD for OPENPediatrics (April 2024).