Brain death is defined as loss of: March 2005

Ans. B: Brain stem functions Brain death should be suspected in any patient rendered deeply comatose and apneic from a profound or diffuse brain insult. The cardinal diagnostic criteria for brain death are: (1) profound coma with total unresponsiveness, (2) apnea despite induced hypercapnia, (3) absence of all reflexes subserved by the brainstem and cranial nerves, (4) presence of a structural brain lesion sufficient to produce the clinical findings, and (5) irreversibility Areflexia of those reflexes subserved by the cranial nerves must be present for brain death to be determined. There can be no pupillary light reflexes, vestibulo-ocular reflexes, corneal reflexes, gag reflexes, or cough reflexes.