A brain-based definition of death and criteria for its determination after arrest of circulation or neurologic function in Canada: a 2023 clinical practice guideline
Sam D. Shemie, Lindsay Wilson, Laura Hornby, John Basmaji, Andrew Baker, Cécile M. Bensimon, Jennifer A. Chandler, Michaël Chassé, Rosanne Dawson, Sonny Dhanani, Owen T. Mooney, Aimee Sarti, Christy Simpson, Jeanne Teitelbaum, Sylvia Torrance, J. Gordon Boyd, Joanne Brennan, Heather Brewster, Robert Carignan, Kirk J. Dawe, Christopher J. Doig, Kennedy Elliott-Pohl, Teneille Gofton, Michael Hartwick, Andrew Healey, Kimia Honarmand, Karen Hornby, George Isac, Aly Kanji, Joann Kawchuk, Jennifer A. Klowak, Andreas H. Kramer, Julie Kromm, Allana LeBlanc, Katarina Lee-Ameduri, Laurie A. Lee, Murdoch Leeies, Ariane Lewis, Alex Manara, Shauna Matheson, Nicole K. McKinnon, Nicholas Murphy, Joel Neves Briard, Thaddeus Mason Pope, Mypinder S. Sekhon, Jai Jai S. Shanker, Gurmeet Singh, Jeffrey M. Singh, Marat Slessarev, Karim Soliman, Stephanie Sutherland, Matthew J. Weiss, Randi Zlotnik Shaul, Lionel S. Zuckier, David J. Zorko, Bram Rochwerg
Abstract
This 2023 Clinical Practice Guideline provides the biomedical definition of death based on permanent cessation of brain function that applies to all persons, as well as recommendations for death determination by circulatory criteria for potential organ donors and death determination by neurologic criteria for all mechanically ventilated patients regardless of organ donation potential. This Guideline is endorsed by the Canadian Critical Care Society, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses, Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation (representing the Canadian Neurological Society, Canadian Neurosurgical Society, Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists, Canadian Association of Child Neurology, Canadian Society of Neuroradiology, and Canadian Stroke Consortium), Canadian Blood Services, the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, the Nurse Practitioners Association of Canada, and the Canadian Cardiovascular Critical Care Society.