Diagnosing 'brain death': The medical, philosophical and ethical aspects

Brain death has been a part of Turkish law and articles since 1979 and these laws have been updated several times when deemed necessary. Last update in 2014 states that a team of two doctors diagnoses brain death. Underlying cause should be clearly defined and brain stem tests should be negative in a patient with coma while apnea test should be positive. After age-appropriate waiting periods and ancillary tests, brain death diagnosis is made. The steps doctors should take after diagnosis may need to be clarified in the future to prevent dispute.