Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication

Brian Death

Krishna's report 1: Man Declared Brain Dead Wakes Up as Organs About to Be Removed

This story brought back traumatic memories to me.
I decided to donate my mother's corneas when the doctors treating her declared her brain dead. But my sister was very scared. "What if she isn't actually dead?", she asked me, "What if she gets up again from her deep sleep? She won't have eyes to see!"

Despite my sister's fear, I went ahead and signed the papers. The doctors removed her corneas and transplanted them to two blind people and I was told the surgery was successful.. After her cremation, I told my sister her fears were exaggerated.

Are they, really?

A case of a Kentucky man waking up as his organs were about to be harvested for donation has called into question the protocols used by hospitals and organ donation networks to qualify death.

Whistleblower Nyckoletta Martin outlined the horrifying case in a letter addressing the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee's September hearing on the nation's organ procurement and transplantation system.

While employed as an organ preservationist for Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), Martin had allegedly reviewed case notes on the October 2021 surgical procedure.

According to a report by the US public broadcasting organization National Public Radio (NPR), those case notes indicated the donor had shown signs of life following a clinical test to evaluate the heart's fitness for transplant purposes. The donor had woken up during his procedure that morning for a cardiac catheterization. And he was thrashing around on the table.

The patient at the center of the incident is 36-year-old Anthony Thomas 'TJ' Hoover II, who had been rushed to Baptist Health Hospital in Richmond, Kentucky, following a drug overdose. Declared brain dead in the wake of a cardiac arrest, TJ was removed from life support and prepared for organ donation in accordance with his wishes. TJ's sister Donna Rhorer was by her brother's side following his passing. Along with other family members, Rhorer recalled seeing TJ's eyes open and looking about on the way to the theater, to be told by staff this was a common reflex. It was only later when TJ displayed more exaggerated movements on the operating table and "was crying visibly" that medical staff in the room became alarmed.

In a chaotic and emotionally charged response to the situation, surgeons declined to continue the procedure .

"It was very chaotic. Everyone was just very upset."

That's everybody's worst nightmare, right? Being alive during surgery and knowing that someone is going to cut you open and take your body parts out?

Deep concerns have been raised about the potential for errors such as these.

But these are rare cases. You don't have to worry.

Please donate your organs and those of your loved ones without any hesitation.

Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/10/16/nx-s1-511...

Krishna's report 2: Scientists Revived a Pig's Brain Nearly a Whole Hour After It Died

Scientists have revived activity in the brains of pigs up to nearly an hour after circulation had ceased. In some cases, functionality was sustained for hours through a surprising discovery by researchers.

This achievement represents a huge step forward in working out how to restore brain function after a patient has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. It suggests that doctors may be able to widen the brief window for successful resuscitation of patients following cardiac arrest.

The trick? Incorporating the patient's unharmed liver – the organ the body uses to purify its blood – into the life support system used to revive the brain after the time had elapsed.

https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.1038/s44321-024-00140-z

A Q based on these:

Q: So madam ! The concept of declaring a patient as “ brain dead” is to be reverified & redefined for confirmation before his body parts are removed for donation to other needy patients !!! If so, what are the extra tests they shall do on such patients for confirming as “ brain dead “ 100% & no chance of revival?

Krishna: This is the usual procedure:

A doctor trained in brain death evaluation typically diagnoses brain death in an intensive care unit. To be declared brain dead, a patient must meet three conditions:

Persistent coma: The patient must not respond to painful stimuli, such as eye opening, verbal response, or limb movement.
Absence of brainstem reflexes: The patient must not have any of the following reflexes:
Pupillary reflex: The patient's pupils must not respond to light and remain fixed in the middle.
Oculocephalic reflex: The patient's eyes must not move when their head is turned rapidly.
Oculovestibular reflex: The patient's eyes must not move when cold water is poured into their ear canal while their head is held at 30 degrees.
Corneal reflex: The patient's eyes must not blink when the surface of their eye is touched. Gag reflex: The patient must not gag when the back of their throat is touched.

Before testing for brain death, doctors must rule out other conditions that could be causing the symptoms, such as: Drug overdose, Hypothermia, and Thyroid underactivity.

Two doctors, at least one of whom must be a senior doctor, must both agree on the results to confirm brain death. The tests are performed twice to reduce the chance of error.

Brian Death

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