Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026
09:54
Lung Rapid Recovery Procurement Combined with Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Controlled Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: August 15, 2022
2.5K
Prolonging Support After Brain Death: When Families Ask for More
Ariane Lewis1, Panayiotis Varelas2, David Greer3
1Division of Neurocritical Care, Department of Neurology, NYU Langone Medical Center, 530 First Avenue, HCC-5A, New York, NY, 10016, USA. ariane.kansas.lewis@gmail.com.
Neurocritical Care
|October 23, 2015
Summary
Most US hospital brain death protocols do not address family objections to death by neurologic criteria. Developing guidelines for these complex situations is recommended to support families and staff.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Neurology
- Healthcare Policy
Background:
- Family objections to brain death declarations are a complex ethical issue.
- Current approaches to managing family objections in brain death protocols are not well-understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how US hospital protocols address family objections to brain death determination.
- To identify institutional practices regarding family objections to organ support after brain death.
Main Methods:
- A review of institutional brain death protocols from 331 US hospitals across 25 states and DC.
- Analysis of protocols to identify provisions for handling family objections to brain death declaration or organ support discontinuation.
Main Results:
- 77.9% of protocols failed to mention how to handle family objections.
- Accommodations included deferring declaration for religious, moral, social reasons, or family arrival.
- Recommendations varied, including seeking counsel, continuing support, or transferring care.
Conclusions:
- The majority of brain death protocols lack guidance on managing family objections.
- Establishing clear guidelines is crucial for managing these sensitive situations and reducing distress for families and healthcare professionals.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Continuing Care
2.1K
Continuing care describes the variety of health, personal, and social services provided over a prolonged period. The need for continuing care is increasing because people are living longer. Many people do not have families or others to care for them. Continuing care is mainly for patients who are disabled, functionally dependent, or suffering from a terminal disease. It is available within institutional settings or in homes. Examples include nursing centers or facilities, assisted living,...
2.1K
01:19Restorative Care
2.5K
Restorative care is provided once a patient has been discharged from a healthcare facility and requires additional services. The additional services include home care, rehabilitation programs, and extended care. Restorative care centers help the patient regain their previous level of functioning or acquire a new level of functioning due to the incapacitating effects of a disease or a disability. It aims to assist patients in enhancing their quality of life by encouraging independence,...
2.5K
01:22Heart Failure VI: Adjunct Therapies
580
Additional therapies for treating patients with heart failure (HF) may include procedural interventions, supplemental oxygen, the management of sleep disorders, and nutritional therapy.Procedural InterventionsImplantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator: For patients at risk of life-threatening arrhythmias due to severe left ventricular dysfunction, an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) can detect and terminate these arrhythmias, preventing sudden cardiac death and improving survival rates.
580
01:17Bonanno's Theory of Grieving
1.4K
Grieving is a complex psychological and emotional process that varies significantly among individuals. George Bonanno's research on bereavement identified four distinct patterns of grieving, offering a nuanced understanding of how people cope with significant loss, such as the death of a spouse, over extended periods. These patterns — resilience, recovery, chronic dysfunction, and delayed grief — highlight the diversity in emotional responses and adaptive mechanisms.
Resilience
Resilience
1.4K
01:25Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation IV: Pharmacological Management
1.3K
Pharmacologic intervention is crucial in treating cardiac arrest patients during ACLS or Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support. The ACLS algorithms guide the administration of specific drugs based on the patient's cardiac arrest rhythm, which includes pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), asystole, and pulseless electrical activity (PEA).EpinephrineIndication: Epinephrine is the first-line drug for all cardiac arrest rhythms.Mechanism of Action: Epinephrine...
1.3K
01:24Endotracheal Tube Extubation
6.2K
Endotracheal tube extubation is a critical procedure in weaning patients from mechanical ventilation. It involves physically removing the oral or nasal endotracheal (ET) tube, marking the final step in liberating a patient from ventilatory support.
Procedure
Extubation removes the endotracheal tube (ETT) from the patient on mechanical ventilation. It requires a well-coordinated, multidisciplinary approach involving physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare professionals....
Procedure
Extubation removes the endotracheal tube (ETT) from the patient on mechanical ventilation. It requires a well-coordinated, multidisciplinary approach involving physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare professionals....
6.2K