Nursing Question

Your patient is a 23-year-old female with a history of headaches. This morning she was experiencing a really bad headache as her boyfriend was driving her to the university. He thought she was sleeping and by the time they got to the school, 45 minutes later, she was not waking up. She was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm and you are taking care of her in the Neurological ICU.

• What testing do you expect to be performed to diagnose brain death?
• What is the procedure when a patient is determined to be brain dead?
• Who should approach the family about organ donation?

Answer preview

An unconscious person who fails to respond to stimulation can be diagnosed with brain death. As illustrated in the case study, a 23-year-old lady had a history of headaches. The boyfriend who drove her to the university thought she was asleep, but after 45 minutes, the patient could not wake up. According to Aboubakr and Alameda (2020), a central pain assessment is one of the tests used in this situation. The assessor applies noxious stimuli to specific areas such as the ankle of the jaw, sternum, anterior axillary fold, and upper trapezius to diagnose brain death. If the doctor fails to detect motor reflexes and eye response, this helps determine brain death. The apnea test is also applicable in assessing the brain’s capability to drive pulmonary functionality in the intense ventilatory stimulus (Aboubakr & Alameda, 2020). A positive test of brain death shows in the absence of respiratory efforts.  (437words)