Prolonged survival after the declaration of death by neurologic criteria createsambiguity regarding the validity of this methodology. This ambiguity has perpetuated thedebate among secular and nondissenting Catholic authors who question whether theneurologic standards are sufficient for the declaration of death of organ donors.Cardiopulmonary criteria are being increasingly used for organ donors who do not meetbrain death standards. However, cardiopulmonary criteria are plagued by conflict ofinterest issues, arbitrary standards for candidacy, and the lack of standardized protocolsfor organ procurement. Combining the neurological and cardiopulmonary standards into asingle protocol would mitigate the weaknesses of both and provide greater biologic andmoral certainty that a donor of unpaired vital organs is indeed dead.
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