Download or read book Brain Death and Disorders of Consciousness written by Calixto Machado and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2004-03-31 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although some decades have passed, there are still worldwide controversies about a concept of human death on neurological grounds. There are also disagreements on the diagnostic criteria for brain death, whether clinical alone or clinical plus ancillary tests. Moreover, some scholars who were strong defenders of a brain-based standard of death are now favoring a circulatory-respiratory standard. The study of coma is extremely important because lesions of the brain are responsible for quality of life in patients or cause of death. The main goal of Brain Death and Disorders of Consciousness is to provide a suitable scientific platform to discuss all topics related to human death and coma.