There is a need to redefine death due to new life-prolonging technologies that can artificially maintain some bodily functions after brain death. This raises questions about when exactly death occurs. Key definitions of death include physiological, brain death, and cellular. Brain death criteria are now often used to declare death and allow for organ donation. Attitudes towards death involve cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. Various ethical theories can provide guidance, such as natural law supporting removing life support if vital brain functions have ceased, and utilitarian principles promoting organ donation from brain dead individuals.

1. REDEFINITION AND
DETERMINATION OF DEATH
Mevelle L. Asuncion
College of Nursing
Central Mindanao University

2. Why is there a need to redefine death?
• To determine the exact point in time when a
person is dead
▫ There is widespread and increasing use of new
devices for prolonging life
 Artificial respirator
 Electronic pacemakers
 Intravenous injection
 Feeding machines

3. Reason why some would not attach
the dying person to life-maintaining
devices?
• To avoid paying the numerous expenses
• To eliminate the suffering of the dying
individual
• To be able to use this life-support machines for
patients who have better chances of survival

4. Are we prolonging life or prolonging
the dying process?

5. Why is there a need to redefine death?
• There is a great demand for cadaver organs for
transplantation.
▫ Eyes
▫ Heart
▫ Kidneys
▫ Bone marrow

6. Definitions of Death
1. Physiological definition
2. Religious/ philosophical definition
3. Brain death definition
4. Cellular definition

7. PHYSIOLOGICAL DEFINITION
• When the heart stops beating.
• Traditional definition

8. RELIGIOUS/PHILOSOPHICAL
• Separation of soul and body
• Soul is viewed as the principle of life
• How do we know that the soul has separated
from the body?
• when the person stops breathing and the heart
stop beating

9. BRAIN DEATH DEFINITION
• Condition in which the brain is completely
destroyed
• Use of EEG
• Use of ECG
• Absence of receptivity, responsiveness and
absence of movement or breathing and absence
of reflexes

10. CELLULAR DEFINITION
• Disintegration and breakdown of the metabolic
processes of the body’s substance.
• Cellular level

11. Medical Context
• Brain death definition
• Organs can be harvested
• Blood circulation may be artificially
maintained after brain death.
• Informed consent
▫ From the donor
▫ From the relatives

12. ATTITUDES TOWARDS DEATH
• Cognitive
▫ Acceptance or denial
• Affective
▫ Depression
▫ Sense of loss
▫ fear
• Behavioral
▫ Anger
▫ Irritability
▫ Bargaining
▫ Resentment
▫ fear

13. SEVERAL VIEW OF DEATH
• NIKOLAI BERDAEV
▫ Only death can give meaning to life
▫ Death is an intermission number between the present
and the hereafter.
• EPICURUS
▫ We should not fear death but be happy about death
• MARTIN HEIDEGGER
▫ Views death as the completion of life, for unless and
until one dies, one’s life is not yet complete.
▫ Death is an equalizer of men

14. APPLICATION OF ETHICAL THEORIES
• NATURAL LAW
▫ Part of nature
▫ When all vital functions of the brain completely
disappear or stop, extraordinary medical
measures may not be necessary, but in
fact, USELESS.
• UTILITARIAN PRINCIPLE
▫ Detached the dying patient from all life-
supporting machines
▫ Donations of harvested organs from brain dead
individuals