Kennisdossier
Knowledge dossier Brain Death
The term brain death is regularly misused. This can cause anxiety. To determine brain death, doctors always use the brain death protocol. This is carried out with great care.
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In the Netherlands, this is the definition: brain death is the complete and irreversible loss of brain functions, including the brainstem and medulla oblongata.
Someone who is brain-dead is no longer able to send signals to the body via the brain. As a result, independent thought, hearing, or feeling is no longer possible. Someone is truly dead. Brain death can be the result of a brain hemorrhage or a severe accident.
When someone with severe brain injury passes away in an intensive care unit of a hospital, they are usually on a ventilator. If someone is brain-dead and on a ventilator, the heart still beats, but the brain no longer functions. The heart would stop if the ventilator were disconnected. Because of the ventilation, the organs still receive oxygen, and the organs of this brain-dead patient may be suitable for donation. About half of the patients who donate organs after death are brain-dead.
The brain death protocol
The brain death protocol is followed if there is a case of organ donation and there is a suspicion of brain death. A patient is only declared brain-dead after a team of specialized doctors has checked this via a fixed step-by-step plan.
Diligence in the execution of brain death
Explanation by neurologists
Discussions about brain death and its determination flare up from time to time. This can lead to unrest and ambiguity. Neurologist-intensivist Michael Kuiper and neurologist Rob Rouhl elaborate on this and explain how the brain death protocol is carried out.
Information and statistics
Public information
What is brain death? We often receive questions about this. See how we explain this topic to the public at orgaandonatie.nl.
Figures
View the organ donation statistics. You can filter by DCD and DBD (brain death)
Figures
of the organ donors in 2025 were a DBD donor.
The brain death protocol consists of 5 steps, all of which must be completed.
people donated organs after brain death in 2025 (DBD donors).
Explainer Brain Death
Are you really dead when you are brain dead? In this explainer you get a clear explanation of what brain death is and an accessible explanation of the brain death protocol.
Frequently asked questions about brain death
Why are there stories circulating about patients who recovered from brain death?
In the Netherlands we strictly adhere to the protocol and multiple medical professionals are involved in completing the brain death protocol.
Yet there are regular misunderstandings. This can be caused by several factors:
- Miscommunication
Doctors have spoken about (possible) brain death, but it had not yet been established. If the protocol had been started with such a patient, it would have been stopped at a step showing that there was no question of brain death. - Confusion regarding the concepts of coma and brain death
Colloquially, coma and brain death are often confused. A patient can wake up from a coma, but with brain death, you are truly dead. - International differences in details
The brain death protocol differs in details across other countries, but it is always a strict protocol. However, errors or violations of the protocol may occur.
Is it possible to recover from brain death?
No. If someone is brain-dead, recovery is no longer possible. Brain death is irreversible and it means that the patient has passed away.
Publishing about brain death?
Are you publishing about brain death and would you like to verify if your information is correct? We are happy to help you further or put you in touch with medical professionals in this field.
tel: 06 82 85 04 71; or email: persvragen@transplantatiestichting.nl