5.2 Brain Death

The advent of neurological or brain death criteria to establish the death of a person was a significant departure from the traditional way of defining death and remains ethically challenging to some. After reading this article from the Canadian Medical Journal, respond to the following:

1			Are brain death criteria met in the two cases reported at the beginning of the article?
2			Explain the meaning of brain death.
3			Why is the issue of brain death important?
4			Summarize the law in Canada and discuss the policies drafted by neurological and neurosurgical societies.
5			What advice does the writer give to the doctor about approaching the issue of brain death?
6			Identify two possible exceptions to medically certifying death based on a diagnosis of brain death.