Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography and Brain Death

Institut d'Anesthesiologie des Alpes Maritimes

Status: Completed

Conditions: Brain Dead

Treatments: Other: Transcranial doppler

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01070563

IAAM 2010-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

In France the diagnosis of brain death relies on electroencephalography (EEG) or cerebral angiography. Concerning the latter a time of 6 hours is mandatory between the clinical diagnosis and the realization of the cerebral computed tomography (CT) angiography. Transcranial doppler (TCD) is not recommended in the french guidelines for the diagnosis of brain death. In other countries, some flow patterns allow to confirm the diagnosis of brain death. The hypothesis of our study is that TCD could shorten the time between the clinical diagnosis of brain death and the realization of the CT angiography.

Enrollment: 44 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• brain death patients

Exclusion criteria

• craniectomy
• post anoxia encephalopathy
• no TCD performed before the clinical diagnosis of brain death
• transtemporal approach impossible

Trial design

44 participants in 2 patient groups

Usual

Description:

CT angiography is performed 6 hours after the clinical diagnosis of brain death.

TCD

Description:

When the diagnosis of brain death is made, TCD is performed and then every 2 hours until the flow patterns compatible with brain death are found. Then a CT angiography is performed.

Treatment:

Other: Transcranial doppler