The language used to talk about death determination has been repeatedly reformulated. Examples include "brain death," to describe the condition of patients who were in "coma depasse"'; consecutive adjustments in the language used to refer to the practices known early on as "non-heart-beating donation" (later as "donation after cardiac death," then as "donation after circulatory death," and then finally as "donation after circulatory determination of death"); and proposals to replace "irreversible cessation" with "permanent cessation" to support controlled donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD) protocols. Despite objections, these changes to language have entered or are entering into academic jargon, professional guidelines, and international regulations. The language seems, in part, to promote organ donation but also helps physicians formally avoid violations of the dead donor rule.
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