Old and New Concepts in Brain Death: A Medico-Legal Overview

Abstract

Although brain death has been extensively dealt within the contemporary literature, there does exist some ambiguities regarding its definition, clinical criteria, ethical and religious perspectives. The neurological criteria helped in subduing the much talked about issues of whole brain death and brainstem death to a greater extent, but the recently introduced cardiac or circulation death made the issue of brain death more complicated and indeed a conundrum. We would touch upon brain death issues since the terminology was initially introduced till the present day when the cardiac death connivingly made its way as a means of organ procurement in the so called dead patients. This review article is the authors' own perception and understanding of the conundrum of brain death, and should not be misinterpreted as a narrative or a systematic review of the subject. In conclusion, this review aims at filling the void that exists about the criteria for brain death in the contemporary literature.