[Brain death: repercussion on the organs and tissues].

Brain death is accompanied by a series of hemodynamic, hormonal and inflammatory systemic effects that have an important repercussion on the economy of the organs and tissues. There is increasing evidence that the organs from brain death donors have an inflammatory response grade secondary to brain death and sometimes proportional to the intensity and rate of its progression. Both clinical and experimental studies have shown that the result of organs from heart arrest deceased donors or live donors have the same or better clinical results than those obtained in brain death donors and who have suffered the inflammatory process secondary to it.

Electrolytic disorders, hyperosmolar states, and lactic acidosis in brain-dead patients.

Despite the use of well-accepted protocols for donor maintenance, the severe electrolytic disorders are not infrequent with deleterious consequences to the organs. The objective of our survey was to determine the incidence of episodes of electrolyte disorders among brain-dead patients (despite of rigid protocols of maintenance) and the rate of anaerobic metabolism in these patients (suggestive of an occult systemic hypoperfusion). The study group of 50 brain-dead patients underwent therapy to maintain normal arterial pressure, urine output, and body temperature.

Brain death due to supratentorial masses: diagnosis using transcranial Doppler sonography.

Since cadaveric donation is the main source of organs for transplantation in many countries, the diagnosis of brain death is an important issue. The cessation of cerebral circulation is one phenomenon closely related to brain death. Transcranial Doppler sonography is one of the accepted techniques to establish cessation of cerebral circulation.

Diagnosis of brain death by transcranial Doppler sonography: solutions for cases of difficult sonic windows.

Delays in diagnosis of brain death have definite consequences for the organ retrieval and transplantation process. It is advisable to use accurate diagnostic methods. Transcranial Doppler sonography is a well-accepted technique for diagnosing cerebral circulatory arrest.

Identification by CT scan of ischemic stroke patients with high risk of brain death.

The identification of patients with high risk of evolution to brain death is one of the more important tasks of transplant coordination teams. Although most of pool of potential donors come from the group of patients who suffer a head injury or hemorrhagic stroke, the procurement of organs from brain-dead patients suffering an ischemic stroke as the cause of brain damage must also be considered. The main objective of this study was to investigate the radiological signs that in the CT scan of admission to a neurological ICU are more frequently associated with progression to brain death.