The spouse of a patient awaiting surgery to donate organs asks how the patient can be classified as "dead" when the chest rises and falls with respirations. What should the nurse respond to this family member?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

1. The patient's respirations are caused by the ventilator and not testing.
2. Breathing is not a reflex.
3. The nurse may need to explain that a brain-dead person will not have the urge to breathe. Family members can be confused by ventilator autotriggering and may think that these represent actual patient movement.
4. Breathing does not occur spontaneously with brain death.

The Spouse of a Patient Awaiting Surgery to Donate Organs