20 Sep Most Film/TV Portrayals of Brain Death and Organ Transplantation Are Inaccurate
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Ariane Lewis
Ariane K. Lewis, MD
Division of Neurocritical Care
Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery
NYU Langone Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Death by neurologic criteria (DNC, also known as brain death) is widely accepted by physicians, lawyers, and ethicists as being equivalent to cardiopulmonary death.
Declaration of DNC is based on strict criteria written by the American Academy of Neurology in 1995 that require:
• Identification of a definitive etiology for catastrophic brain injury;
• Confirmation that prerequisite conditions are met (normal blood pressure and temperature, exclusion of complicating factors such as medications or laboratory abnormalities that could impact the exam); and
• Demonstration that a patient is comatose, lacks brainstem reflexes, and is incapable of breathing
spontaneously.
If a portion of the examination cannot be performed, an ancillary test such as an electroencephalogram or angiogram is used to confirm lack of brain activity or blood flow to the brain.
If a patient is pronounced dead by neurologic criteria, organ support is discontinued unless organ donation is planned.
An independent representative from an organ donation team approaches families to discuss donation, and if families agree to donation, organs are given to patients on the 120,000 person waitlist in the United States based upon need.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: In general, the public is largely unaware of the meaning of death by neurologic criteria. Much of public understanding about this, and other medical topics, comes from television and film. We sought to evaluate the way that death by neurologic criteria is portrayed in television and film.
We reviewed 24 productions from 1978-2015 that dealt with death by neurologic criteria. Organ donation was featured in seventeen productions. We found that only a small fraction of productions (13%) provided the public with a complete and accurate understanding of DNC. Many productions were misleading or blatantly incorrect. The discussions about organ donation were generally unprofessional and incorrectly showed physicians approaching families about donation, and suggested they only wanted to declare death by neurologic criteria to take a patient’s organs to give to another patient under their care.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: It is important for the public to understand that television and film use sensationalistic storylines about death by neurologic criteria and organ donation and that these productions do not provide realistic portrayals. Film and television should not be considered sources of education about brain death and organ donation.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Portrayal of Brain Death in Film and Television
A. Lewis,J. Weaver,A. Caplan
First published: 19 September 2016Full publication history
DOI: 10.1111/ajt.14016View/save citation
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
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Last Updated on September 20, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD