Brain Death / Death by Neurologic Criteria (DNC) Determination — free guideline decision tool
Work through the adult brain-death / death-by-neurologic-criteria determination: prerequisites, brainstem-reflex examination and the apnea test. Instant, browser-side.
Open guideline tool →Guideline-based
Implements the decision logic from published clinical guidelines.
Runs in your browser
No installation. Enter the patient's values and get a guideline recommendation instantly.
Data stays local
Nothing is uploaded. Results are for licensed clinicians only.
Common questions
What does Brain Death / Death by Neurologic Criteria (DNC) Determination do?
Structured clinical determination of brain death (BD/DNC) per the AAN/AAP/CNS/SCCM 2023 consensus.
How is the result calculated?
All three must hold: prerequisites (irreversible cause, confounders excluded, core temp ≥ 36℃, SBP ≥ 100 / adequate MAP, no hypoxia) + all brainstem reflexes absent in a comatose patient with no induced movement + a positive apnea test (PaCO₂ ≥ 60 and ↑ ≥ 20 over baseline). Ancillary testing only when the exam/apnea test cannot be completed.
Is this a substitute for clinical judgement?
No. All results are decision-support only, for licensed clinicians. They must be individualized to the whole patient and the latest guideline version.
Run Brain Death / Death by Neurologic Criteria (DNC) Determination now
Work through the adult brain-death / death-by-neurologic-criteria determination: prerequisites, brainstem-reflex examination and the apnea test. Instant, browser-side.
Open guideline tool →For licensed clinicians. Not a substitute for clinical judgement.