title: Brain death: a challenging diagnosis in trauma patients.
abstract: Brain death is a catastrophic consequence of trauma, and diagnosing it can be a challenging for physicians because it presents in numerous ways. Since existing recommendations are not applicable to all hospitals because of the requirement of special equipment and highly-trained personnel, a committee of health care professionals at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston decided to review the available literature and create a new set of protocols regarding brain death. This article summarizes the findings of the committee and provides recommendations for physicians working with trauma patients.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Charleston Division, USA.
authors.forename: Kuruvilla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Bernardo J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: Rajeeve
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thachil
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flaherty
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emmett
mesh_terms: D001926:Brain Death / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D010819:Physician's Role; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014903:West Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality