Autopsy studies in patients who have been declared brain dead are rare. Total brain necrosis ("respirator brain") has been a common finding in the distant past. The time to brain fixation has been shortened as a result of timely organ transplant protocols, therefore the neuropathologic findings may be different than previously described.
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Division of Critical Care Neurology, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. wijde@mayo.edu
