The Poison Lab

The Undead Patient: The Complexity of Brain Death Determination in Drug Overdose

Episode Summary

In this episode Ryan explores the concept of brain death and the implications of drug overdoses causing false positive diagnosis of brain death. He is joined by an author of the ACMT Position statement on brain death in overdose (Dr. Andrew Stolbach MD) as well as authors of two case reports (neuro critical care physician Dr. Ranier Reyes and emergency physician Dr. Doug Stranges) involving bupropion where patients had absent brain stem reflexes after overdose but made a full neurologic recovery. We delve into the criteria used to determine brain death and the challenges faced by families and healthcare professionals when dealing with this sensitive topic.

Episode Notes

In this episode Ryan explores the concept of brain death and the implications of drug overdoses causing false positive diagnosis of brain death. He is joined by an author of the ACMT Position statement on brain death in overdose (Dr. Andrew Stolbach MD) as well as authors of two case reports (neuro critical care physician Dr. Ranier Reyes and emergency physician Dr. Doug Stranges) involving bupropion where patients had absent brain stem reflexes after overdose but made a full neurologic recovery. We delve into the criteria used to determine brain death and the challenges faced by families and healthcare professionals when dealing with this sensitive topic. 

Links references in show