Updated Guidelines for Brain Death and the Impact on Organ Donation

Guest: Eelco Wijdicks, MD, PhD

The American Academy of Neurology released new guidelines for determining brain death in adults, providing a step-by-step process for making this decision consistent among hospitals in the United States. One major departure in these guidelines is the recommendation of a single exam, rather than multiple exams occurring at several-hour intervals. How does this change impact organ donation following brain death? Dr. Eelco Wijdicks, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and chair of the division of critical care, joins Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss how to evaluate a brain dead patient without jeopardizing their organs for transplant.