Use of brainstem auditory evoked potentials in pediatric brain death.
Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were examined prospectively in ten clinically brain-dead and 13 comatose nonbrain-dead children. All clinically brain-dead children failed to demonstrate brainstem impulse transmission, displaying no waves or only wave I. The comatose, nonbrain-dead children maintained evidence of brainstem electrical activity, manifested by at least two waveforms. This suggests that BAEPs are a useful noninvasive method of supporting the clinical diagnosis of brain death in children.
D000293:Adolescent; D001926:Brain Death; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003128:Coma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies