Awakening (mis) conceptions about brain death

摘要

The headlines above, all making reference to the same event, appeared on various Internet stories in late December 2011, but similar headlines appear frequently atop stories in the popular media. Such miraculous accounts certainly entice readers, and of course they are great news for the people figuring in them who presumably earn a new lease on life. But to those of us who care for critically ill patients day in and day out, such sensationalism can be frustrating. Often the journalists who report these stories recycle misunderstandings and misconceptions about brain death.