[Determination of irreversibility of clinical brain death : Electroencephalography and evoked potentials].

[Determination of irreversibility of clinical brain death : Electroencephalography and evoked potentials].
Nervenarzt. 2016 Jan 19;
Authors: Buchner H, Ferbert A
Abstract
Principally, in the fourth update of the rules for the procedure to finally determine the irreversible cessation of function of the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brainstem, the importance of an electroencephalogram (EEG), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) are confirmed. This paper presents the reliability and validity of the electrophysiological diagnosis, discusses the amendments in the fourth version of the guidelines and introduces the practical application, problems and sources of error.An EEG is the best established supplementary diagnostic method for determining the irreversibility of clinical brain death syndrome. It should be noted that residual brain activity can often persist for many hours after the onset of brain death syndrome, particularly in patients with primary brainstem lesions. The derivation and analysis of an EEG requires a high level of expertise to be able to safely distinguish artefacts from primary brain activity. The registration of EEGs to demonstrate the irreversibility of clinical brain death syndrome is extremely time consuming.The BAEPs can only be used to confirm the irreversibility of brain death syndrome in serial examinations or in the rare cases of a sustained wave I or sustai...

Source: Der Nervenarzt - January 19, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Buchner H, Ferbert A Tags: Nervenarzt Source Type: research