Developing a standard method for apnea testing in the determination of brain death for patients on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a pediatric case series.

Objective: The revised guidelines for the determination of brain death in infants and children stress that apnea testing is an integral component in determining brain death based on clinical criteria. Unfortunately, these guidelines provide no process for apnea testing during the determination of brain death in patients supported on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. We review three pediatric patients supported on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation who underwent apnea testing during their brain death evaluation.