Hemodynamic responses in brain dead organ donor patients

Because we have noticed dramatic hemodynamic responses in brain dead patients undergoing surgery for organ donation, we analyzed the anesthetic records of cadaver organ donors. Ten records contain complete data for heart rate, blood pressure, central venous pressure, and time of incision. Systolic pressure increased by a mean of 31 torr (P less than 0.01), diastolic pressure by 16 torr (P less than 0.02), and heart rate by 23 beats/min (P less than 0.01) in response to surgical stimulation. These results demonstrate the occurrence of significant hemodynamic responses to surgical stimuli in patients who fulfill the criteria of brain death, responses that do not, however, invalidate the current criteria for the diagnosis of brain death.