- 著者
-
長井 圓
- 出版者
- 中央ロー・ジャーナル編集委員会
- 雑誌
- 中央ロー・ジャーナル (ISSN:13496239)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.14, no.2, pp.3-68, 2017-09-30
Death occurs inevitably whenever whole-brain failure is irreversible. In the conventional process of human death, brain death occurs 4-10minutes after the reversible arrest of cardiorespiratory functions. The irreversible loss of beating and breathing leads to a lack of blood circulation. However, other organs and tissue remain alive for different periods of time. In the case of brain death with cardiopulmonary functions, homeostasis is maintained by a respirator and integrated care unit. This homeostasis is neither real nor indicative of a vital organism. It is just mechanical, not spontaneous. Physicians, of course, must treat patients with respirators whenever possible and effective after cardiorespiratory arrest. We can never return to the traditional cardiorespiratory definition of death. How could we make the definition dependent on the death of all cells in the entire organism? The criteria of brain death were developed as a means of making the decision to discontinue treatment in terminally ill patients, when further efforts would offer no benefit. Inflicting only pain is illegal, a cruel abuse of the technology.