Meghan is interning as a neurosurgeon in a children's hospital. During one of her hospital visits, a child is brought into the emergency trauma center. A senior doctor asks Meghan to examine the child and note down the child's vital statistics. Meghan notices that the EEG (electroencephalogram) reading has been showing a flat line for a long time. In this scenario, the flat EEG reading is most likely a criterion of ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A flat EEG reading is a criterion of brain death, which means no electrical activity is detected in the brain, and the person has lost all brain function. It is a legal and medical determination of death. Rigor mortis is a post-mortem stiffening of the body after death, while concussions and epileptic seizures may cause abnormalities in EEG readings, but they do not result in a flat line.

Meghan Is Interning as a Neurosurgeon in a Children's Hospital