Brain death: the European perspective.

Some of the seminal steps toward the recognition and definition of brain death were European. There is a general consensus on both the medical concept of brain death in Europe as well as the minimum fundamental clinical standards that are required for its diagnosis-the absence of consciousness, brainstem reflexes, and the ability to breathe in the absence of reversible or confounding conditions. Two aspects of brain death determination are addressed in this article.

A rare case of bilateral non-weight bearing posterior aspect of lateral femoral condyle osteochondral fracture and its management.

Osteochondral fracture of the lateral femoral condyle can be a real challenging injury to diagnose on initial presentation. The authors report a rare case of bilateral involvement of posterior aspect of lateral femoral condyle osteochondral fracture in a young 15-year-old boy. This was managed with excision of these osteochondral fragments, as the site involved was on the posterior non-weight bearing area of the femur along with chronicity of the injury dictating excision as a reasonable choice of management.

Is the increase in DCD organ donors in the United Kingdom contributing to a decline in DBD donors?

Introduction: Organ donation after brain death (DBD) has declined in the United Kingdom, whereas donation after cardiac death (DCD) has increased markedly. We sought to understand the reasons for the decline in DBD and determine whether the increase in DCD was a major factor.

Methods: The UK Transplant Registry was analyzed to determine trends in organ donation.

Preoperative characteristics identify patients with hip fractures at risk of transfusion.

Routine cross-matching places substantial demands on limited blood resources. The primary objective of this study was to identify patients with hip fractures at risk of transfusion, which may allow implementation of a more selective cross-matching policy. We also sought to determine the hemoglobin level that triggered a transfusion, the rate of urgent (intraoperative) transfusions, and these patients' characteristics.