Spinal reflexes as a barrier for family consent

Abstract

Background: Brain death (BD) refers to the non-returnable loss of brain function, including the cortex, subcortical layers, and brain stem. Whereas the spinal cord is considered as part of the extra cranial nervous system that is less affected by the damage causes, this can lead to some reflexes and spontaneous spinal movements, which is not a reason to rule out BD. Past studies showed that between 30%-70% of BD cases have spinal reflexes The purpose of this study is to investigate the consequences of observing these movements in the acceptance of death, the level of satisfaction and emotional behaviors of the family in the donation process. Methods: In 2021-2020, 30 cases of BD were evaluated in terms of spinal reflexes and the level of consent to donation by the