மூளைச்சாவு (அ) மூளை இறப்பு - தெரிந்து கொள்வோம் (Brain Death)

Brain death

Brain death is the total and irreversible loss of all brain function and the

circumstance under which the donation of vital organs most commonly takes place.



Brain death occurs when a person has an irreversible, catastrophic brain injury,

which causes total cessation of all brain function (the upper brain structure and brain stem).

Brain death is not a coma or persistent vegetative state.

Brain death is determined in the hospital by one or more physicians

not associated with a transplantation team.



Some causes of brain death include (but are not limited to):

*Trauma to the brain (i.e. severe head injury caused by a motor vehicle crash,

gunshot wound, fall or blow to the head)

*Cerebrovascular injury (i.e. stroke or aneurysm)

*Anoxia (i.e. drowning or heart attack when the patient is revived,

but not before a lack or blood flow/oxygen to the brain has caused brain death)

*Brain tumor



When the brain is injured, it responds like other injuries—it swells.

However, the brain is confined in the skull and has no room to swell.

This leads to brain death.



How does the doctor determine brain death?

Doctors examining the patient will conduct a battery of tests to determine

whether any brain activity is present.

If all brain activity is absent, the patient is dead.



Organ Donation

Organ Donation is the gift of an organ to a person with end stage organ disease

and who needs a transplant.



How can you be a donor?

The process of organ donation

*Living people in their lifetime can pledge their organs.

They will receive Donor Card which acts as a will for donating the organs.

*In case of brain dead patients, Transplantation of Human Organs

Act has been established with the rules to be followed for organ donation.

Apart from the procedures laid down in the act, consent from family, coroner and

legal authorities is obtained before starting the process.

Down syndrome or Trisomy-21 or Mangolism

Down syndrome or Trisomy-21 or Mangolism

People with Down syndrome are born with an extra chromosome.

With Down syndrome, this extra chromosome leads to a range of

issues that affect you both mentally and physically.



Normally, each cell in your body has 23 pairs of chromosomes.

One chromosome in each pair comes from your mother.

The other comes from your father.

But with Down syndrome, something goes wrong and you

get an extra copy of chromosome 21.

That means you have three copies instead of two,

which leads to the signs and symptoms of Down syndrome.



Nuchal translucency scan

Nuchal translucency is a newly introduced ultrasound test

that measures the thickness of the fluid accumulated in the region of the base of the fetus's head.

The most reliable results are obtained between the 11th and the 13th week of pregnancy.

In fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities,

cardiac defects and many genetic syndromes the NT thickness is increased.

Screening by NT can detect about 80% of fetuses with trisomy 21 and other

major aneuploides for a false positive rate of 5%.



Why is nuchal translucency testing performed?

During fetal development, between the 11th and the 14th week,

fluid accumulates under the skin in the scalp and nape region. In cases

where there is excessive fluid (usually a fluid band of greater than 3 mm width)

there is an increased risk of a fetus with both chromosomal defects

and anatomical defects. This test can detect women who are at increased risk

for having infants with chromosomal or structural disorders.