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Pediatric and Adult Brain Death/Death by Neurologic Criteria Consensus Guideline
David M Greer1, Matthew P Kirschen1, Ariane Lewis1
1From the Department of Neurology (D.M.G., C.T.), Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, MA; Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Pediatrics (M.P.K.), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (A.L.), NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; Department of Neurology (G.S.G.), University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City; Department of Neurology (A.R.-G.), Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of the Case Western Reserve University, OH; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology (S.A.), Loma Linda University School of Medicine, CA; Surgical Affiliates Management Group (M.A.B.), Grand Forks, ND; Department of Neurosurgery (D.F.B.), Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston; Department of Neurology (L.B.), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Atlanta VA Medical Center and Department of Radiology and Imaging Science (A.C.), Emory University, GA; Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics (S.P.), Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA; Department of Neurology (M.A.R.), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Departments of Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery (L.S.), University of Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Anesthesia (R.C.T.), Boston Children's Hospital, MA; Department of Neurology (P.N.V.), Albany Medical College, NY; Department of Neurology (E.W.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; American Academy of Neurology (A.B., S.R.W.), Minneapolis, MN; and Department of Neurosciences (J.J.H.), Overlook Medical Center, Summit, NJ.
Background And Objectives:
The purpose of this guideline is to update the 2010 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC) guideline for adults and the 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics, Child Neurology Society, and Society of Critical Care Medicine guideline for infants and children and to clarify the BD/DNC determination process by integrating guidance for adults and children into a single guideline. Updates in this guideline include guidance related to conducting the BD/DNC evaluation in the context of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, targeted temperature management, and primary infratentorial injury.
Methods:
A panel of experts from multiple medical societies developed BD/DNC recommendations. Because of the lack of high-quality evidence on the subject, a novel, evidence-informed formal consensus process was used. This process relied on the panel experts' review and detailed knowledge of the literature surrounding BD/DNC to guide the development of preliminary recommendations. Recommendations were formulated and voted on, using a modified Delphi process, according to the 2017 AAN Clinical Practice Guideline Process Manual.
Major Recommendations:
Eighty-five recommendations were developed on the following: (1) general principles for the BD/DNC evaluation, (2) qualifications to perform BD/DNC evaluations, (3) prerequisites for BD/DNC determination, (4) components of the BD/DNC neurologic examination, (5) apnea testing as part of the BD/DNC evaluation, (6) ancillary testing as part of the BD/DNC evaluation, and (7) special considerations for BD/DNC determination.
