Incidence of brain death among patients with brain injury in intensive care unit: a retrospective study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The concept of brain death is clinically defined as the absence of spontaneous respiration, brain stem reflexes, and motor responses, presence of coma, and irreversible cessation of brain function, including the cerebral and brain stem functions completely. Because of limited donor sources and high family refusal in Turkey, to determine brain death and potential donors is very important. Here we aim to evaluate the brain-dead patients and cadaver donors in a tertiary level adult intensive care unit, retrospectively. METHODS: We evaluated the medical records of brain-dead patients diagnosed between the years 2008-2019, retrospectively. We recorded the demographics of the patients, clinical diagnosis, and donation rates. RESULTS: A total of 102 brain dead patients were diagnosed in the intensive care unit between the years 2008-2019. The median age of the patients was 49.16 (16-84, min-max), 55.88% was male and 44.11% was female. The clinical diagnoses were spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (50%), traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (28.43%), cardiac arrest (12.74%), and cerebral infarct (7.84%). Organ donation was approved in 19 (18.62%) patients and refused in 83 patients. The time between admission to the intensive care unit and apnea test was determined as a mean of 3.56 days. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In the present study, we recognized the increased rates of brain death diagnosis, but there was no change in donation rates of cadaver donors. Health professionals should focus on promoting awareness of organ donation and volunteering to donate in order to increase donation rates.

Keywords

• brain death
• organ donation
• intensive care.