Impact of the brain death ruling in Washington state.
In a 1980 Washington State Supreme Court decision, brain death was recognized as a means of determining death, but the court declined to specify a procedural mechanism to be followed. According to a survey of hospitals in Washington, the decision has had little impact in the state, apparently due to the medical profession's unfamiliarity with it. As a result of the survey, we have identified problems of procedure and interaction with the legal system. A consensus of those contacted was that no formal, hospital-mandated definition of brain death is needed.
D001926:Brain Death; D003625:Data Collection; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D014861:Washington; D028761:Withholding Treatment