What exactly is “brain dead” - medically speaking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you get pronounced brain dead immediately after a drug overdose or car crash, even before getting put on any medical devices?

Nobody is declared brain dead instantly. I'm pretty sure multiple doctors have to examine the patient and the EEGs (brain wave scans) and they all have to sign that the patient is brain dead and will never return to consciousness. If the patient is breathing without a ventilator, they are not brain dead but they might be in a vegetative state which may or may not be permanent.

[Anonymous]

So what of the stories of those miraculous "declared brain-dead, then woke up" stories? How do those happen? Obviously someone made a mistake, but how?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you get pronounced brain dead immediately after a drug overdose or car crash, even before getting put on any medical devices?

You don’t.

What? Well, if one is dead immediately after a drug overdose or car crash, then one gets pronounced dead. What on earth are you all talking about? This has nothing to do with being brain-dead or not. If it's at the scene, paramedics and EMTs have criteria for determining if a patient is dead. Part of that typically includes trying to resuscitate. But if there are zero signs that it's working and all other signs point to death, they can call it at the scene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you get pronounced brain dead immediately after a drug overdose or car crash, even before getting put on any medical devices?

This is not a thing. Three doctors have to sign off that the patient is brain dead. It will take days or weeks while the person is kept alive on a ventilator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you get pronounced brain dead immediately after a drug overdose or car crash, even before getting put on any medical devices?

You don’t.

Then what does it take, if you aren’t put on a ventilator?

They might call you dead but not brain dead. Typically they’ll attempt to revive you anyway and call it in the ER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you get pronounced brain dead immediately after a drug overdose or car crash, even before getting put on any medical devices?

You don’t.

What? Well, if one is dead immediately after a drug overdose or car crash, then one gets pronounced dead. What on earth are you all talking about? This has nothing to do with being brain-dead or not. If it's at the scene, paramedics and EMTs have criteria for determining if a patient is dead. Part of that typically includes trying to resuscitate. But if there are zero signs that it's working and all other signs point to death, they can call it at the scene.

Yep. But PP specifically said brain dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what of the stories of those miraculous "declared brain-dead, then woke up" stories? How do those happen? Obviously someone made a mistake, but how?

These stories are shockingly rare but sometimes a person is declared brain dead and the family chooses to continue life support (ventilator and feeding tube). It's possible the patient, who is essentially in an irreversible coma opens their eyes and shows some kind of consciousness where they respond to commands or seem to recognize people in the room. I do believe these stories are far and few between and the person continues to be severely brain damaged.

[Anonymous]

Are you confusing brain dead with vegetative state? There are definitely some stories about a person coming out of a vegetative state (coma) after weeks, months, or even years when doctors said they wouldn't. They don't get up and walk across the room, but there might be some signs they are conscious. These people were never declared brain dead, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what of the stories of those miraculous "declared brain-dead, then woke up" stories? How do those happen? Obviously someone made a mistake, but how?

They don't. Someone is using the word incorrectly. Probably a grief stricken relative with no medical expertise.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone specified the difference between dead and brain dead? (There’s no ventilator involved.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone specified the difference between dead and brain dead? (There’s no ventilator involved.)

Why don't you tell us what happened. Otherwise it's hypotheticals and speculation.

But bottom line is you CANNOT come back from being brain dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone specified the difference between dead and brain dead? (There’s no ventilator involved.)

Why don't you tell us what happened. Otherwise it's hypotheticals and speculation.

But bottom line is you CANNOT come back from being brain dead.

Then why didn’t they just stick with “dead”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone specified the difference between dead and brain dead? (There’s no ventilator involved.)

Why don't you tell us what happened. Otherwise it's hypotheticals and speculation.

But bottom line is you CANNOT come back from being brain dead.

Then why didn’t they just stick with “dead”?

Your body is still alive. Your brain is dead. Someone has to make a choice at that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone specified the difference between dead and brain dead? (There’s no ventilator involved.)

Why don't you tell us what happened. Otherwise it's hypotheticals and speculation.

But bottom line is you CANNOT come back from being brain dead.

Then why didn’t they just stick with “dead”?

Your body is still alive. Your brain is dead. Someone has to make a choice at that point.

The body is alive because of the machines, only? Sorry, np, but I have wondered this too. If the brain is dead, it can't direct breathing, heartbeat, etc., correct? So on the machines, they're brain dead, off the machines, they're dead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone specified the difference between dead and brain dead? (There’s no ventilator involved.)

Why don't you tell us what happened. Otherwise it's hypotheticals and speculation.

But bottom line is you CANNOT come back from being brain dead.

Then why didn’t they just stick with “dead”?

Your body is still alive. Your brain is dead. Someone has to make a choice at that point.

The body is alive because of the machines, only? Sorry, np, but I have wondered this too. If the brain is dead, it can't direct breathing, heartbeat, etc., correct? So on the machines, they're brain dead, off the machines, they're dead?

The PP 2 posts back is not really correct… if you’re brain dead you’re dead… the body is not still alive. You can’t have the brain dead and the body alive at the same time.And to answer the other PP’s question, “why is it even a term and why don’t they use just the term dead” is because if you read the link provided before it outlines how we are using life prolonging measures such as ventilators that make it appear the person is alive when they’re not. The person‘s body cannot breathe on its own, but the machine is doing it for them. Typically a person is kept on life prolonging measures as long as there is still brain function, while the brain is still alive.


If a person is in coma, they are still alive, there’s brain function, but their body is not ready to function on its own. That’s different. Brain alive.

There are tests that doctors do to on whether the brain is receiving blood/oxygen and can send signals to the rest of the body. When it can no longer do that they say you are brain dead and that point it’s time to take you off the life prolonging measures like a ventilator.

OP I’m not sure how we can be more clear.