brain dead etymology

Etymology

"Brain dead" is a medical term that refers to a state of irreversible coma in which the brain is no longer functioning. The term was first coined in the 1960s by Dr. Robert J. White, a neurosurgeon at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Meaning

Brain dead means that the brain has lost all of its functions, including the ability to control breathing, heart rate, and temperature. A brain dead person is not conscious and cannot be revived.

Origin

The term "brain dead" was originally used to describe a patient who had suffered a severe head injury and was in a persistent vegetative state. However, it is now also used to describe patients who have suffered other types of brain damage, such as a stroke or a brain tumor.

Criteria

The criteria for determining brain death vary from country to country. However, the following are the most common criteria:

• Unresponsiveness: The patient is not conscious and does not respond to any stimuli.
• Apnea: The patient is not breathing on their own.
• Absence of brainstem reflexes: The patient does not have any brainstem reflexes, such as the pupil reflex or the corneal reflex.

Diagnosis

Brain death is diagnosed by a team of doctors who perform a series of tests to confirm that the patient meets the criteria for brain death. These tests may include:

• Neurological examination: The doctor will check the patient's level of consciousness, pupillary reflexes, and corneal reflexes.
• Apnea test: The doctor will stop providing the patient with oxygen to see if they can breathe on their own.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG): The doctor will place electrodes on the patient's head to record their brain activity. An EEG can show whether the patient has any brain activity.

brain dead relate terms

• brain

  Etymology The word brain is derived from the Old English word brægen which is cogna

• dead

  Etymology Old English dead Proto Germanic dauðaz Proto Indo European dʰew Mea