The diagnosis of brain death is a clinical determination. Reversible causes such as hypothermia, drug intoxication, metabolic derangements, or hypothermia must be ruled out.
Brain scans help to increase certainty of brain death, but the diagnosis is primarily clinical.
Staff should be consulted on these cases on call . In Oregon, in order to be brain dead, no cerebral nor brain stem activity should be seen. No activity is seen in the cerebral hemispheres, nor brain stem. Only The left cerebral hemisphere shows no activity.