When Are Patients Dead? The Cost of Lingering Ambiguity

AbstractPhysicians are responsible for declaring patients dead. Although this decision may appear straightforward, physicians often encounter complex cases in which the decision is ambiguous. Using an extraordinary yet illustrative case, this article examines the labor-intensive tasks such cases require in order for the physician to reach a diagnosis of death. We explore three subjects: (1) definitions of death as defined in the Uniform Declaration of Death Act, (2) practical challenges for meeting those definitions of death, and (3) the detrimental impact of a delayed or ambiguous death diagnosis on caregivers, the healthcare system, and organ recipients.