title: Brain death revisited: the case for a national standard.
abstract: The concept of brain death--first defined decades ago--still presents medical, ethical, and legal challenges despite its widespread acceptance in clinical practice and in law. This article reviews the medicine, law, and ethics of brain death, including the current inconsistencies in brain death determinations, which a lack of standardized federal policy promotes, and argues that a standard brain death policy to be used by all hospitals in all states should be created.
authors.affiliation: Charles Warren Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics, Clarian Health, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Eun-Kyoung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Valita
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fredland
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zachodni
authors.forename: J Eugene
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lammers
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bledsoe
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Helft
mesh_terms: D001926:Brain Death / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States