Criterios de muerte encefálica, artículo de revisión

Abstract

Ischemia of the brain tissue is the trigger of the pathological processes that are evidenced during \nbrain death, which eventually evolves to the failure of multiple organs. The physical examination \nshould be oriented to the search for brainstem reflexes, and on the other hand, the apnea test can \nbe performed. The Gold Standard considered for determining the absence of blood flow to the brain \nis cerebral angiography with a four-vessel intra-arterial catheter; However, it presents some \ndisadvantages about its use, since not all medical centers use it is available, so the judgment of \nthose who assess the patient with brain death must be accurate and refrain from this diagnosis when \nin doubt. . Materials and methods: This bibliographic review was carried out through an exhaustive \nsearch for articles with scientific validity in scientific and academic virtual repositories with the \nhighest evidence. All outdated information was discarded, and not confirmed; and the literature \npublished from the year 2018 was included. Results: There is no consensus to establish brain death \ncriteria, however all the literature collected mentions minimum standards that must be included in \nthe evaluation of a patient, such as the analysis of the neurological morbid conditions of the patient, \nthe physical examination of the patient at the time of assessment, the apnea test, the supporting \nmedical studies and the selection of the most appropriate one; and finally it is necessary to take \ninto account the communication and documentation of brain death.