When someone is brain dead can they still hear you?

Brain dead patients look asleep, but they are not. They do not hear or feel anything, including pain. In addition, the brain can no longer tell the body to breathe. Because the brain cannot control breathing, breathing must be done by a machine, called a ventilator.

Can someone who is brain dead hear you talking to them?

“Dying loved ones may hear something if we speak to them.” Scientists found that the brains of “actively dying” patients in palliative care (some unresponsive, some still responsive) still registered activity in response to sounds.

Should brain dead person remain connected to a ventilator?

The body of a brain-dead person is usually not supported for very long, Greene-Chandos said. Doctors sometimes provide support (in the form of a ventilator, hormones, fluids, etc.) for several days if the organs will be used for donation, or if the family needs more time to say good-bye, Greene-Chandos said.

Can you come back after being brain dead?

If the clinical situation and the tests have led to the determination of brain death, then this means the patient cannot recover; brain death is death, which is irreversible. Keeping a body on a ventilator after brain death has been declared properly will never result in recovery.

Can a brain dead person breathe without a ventilator?

A patient who is brain dead will have no response to this type of stimuli, but an individual who has brain function will have a response, which can range from eye movement to vomiting. 3  A patient who is sick enough for brain death testing will be on a ventilator and cannot breathe without a ventilator.

Will a brain-dead patient take a breath during apnea testing?

A brain-dead patient will not take a breath during apnea testing. A typical patient will attempt to draw a breath when the brain tells the body it is necessary. For brain-dead patients, the brain is unable to send the signal to breathe and breathing does not happen without the support of a ventilator.

What happens to the body when someone is brain dead?

In Jahi’s case, three doctors have concluded that she is brain-dead. However, the heart’s intrinsic electrical system can keep the organ beating for a short time after a person becomes brain-dead — in fact, the heart can even beat outside the body, Greene-Chandos said.

How long can a brain-dead person be kept alive?

There is very little research on just how long the body of a brain-dead person can be maintained. The discussion of brain death dates back to the 1950s in France with six patients who were kept “alive” for between two and 26 days without blood flow to the brain.