title: [General considerations on brain death and recommendations on the clinical decisions after its diagnosis. Red/Consejo Iberoamericano de Donación y Trasplante].
abstract: The objective of the Latin American Network/Council of Donation and Transplant is to develop cooperation among its member states in all aspects related to donation and transplant of organs, tissue and cells. Given that diagnosing brain death (BD) is one of the key issues for the procurement of organs for transplant, the Network/Council seeks to contribute to defining the accepted concept of BD and its diagnosis and to disseminate this information among healthcare workers. In this report, we present the general guidelines on brain death and recommendations for clinical decisions after its diagnosis established and approved by the Latin American Network/Council of Donation and Transplant at its sixth meeting held in La Havana, Cuba, in May 2008. Although there are legal differences and variations in the diagnostic criteria used to define BD among its member states, brain death is accepted as the death of an individual for all legal, ethical and scientific effects. The diagnosis of BD should be independent of the decision of whether to donor or not donate organs for transplant. Once a diagnosis of BD has been confirmed, the possibility of organ donation should always be considered and the appropriate organ maintenance measures initiated. If organ donation is contraindicated, all support measures should be withdrawn including mechanical respiration. The decision to withdraw all support measures is consistent with the clinical-legal diagnosis and supported by several scientific and bioethics societies.
authors.affiliation: Red/Consejo Iberoamericano de Donación y Trasplantes Servicio de Medicina Intensiva y Coordinación de Trasplantes, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, España. dolores.escudero@sespa.princast.es
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Escudero
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matesanz
authors.forename: C Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Soratti
authors.forename: J Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Flores
mesh_terms: D001926:Brain Death / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies / Q000592:standards; D007843:Latin America; D011174:Portugal; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D013030:Spain; D020458:Third-Party Consent; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards*; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards