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Kentucky Man Declared Brain Dead Wakes Up Moments Before Organ Harvesting
In a startling turn of events at a Kentucky hospital, a man declared brain-dead after a drug overdose regained consciousness just as surgeons prepared to remove his organs for donation. The incident has prompted federal investigations and renewed scrutiny over the protocols used to determine death.Determining Death
The patient was rushed to Baptist Health Hospital in Richmond, Kentucky, after suffering a drug overdose that led to cardiac arrest. Doctors declared him brain-dead and, in accordance with his wishes, prepared him for organ donation.Brain death is officially defined as the irreversible cessation of all brain activity, including the brain stem — the command center for essential bodily functions like breathing. Doctors determine this state through a series of tests. The patient must show no responses to external stimuli and exhibit no brainstem reflexes such as pupil reactions to light or gag reflexes. Crucially, the patient must also fail an apnea test confirming the inability to breathe without assistance. If a patient breathes, they’re not brain dead.
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Kentucky Man Declared Brain Dead Wakes Up Moments Before Organ Harvesting
Declared brain-dead, a man wakes up moments before his organs were set to be harvested
