International experts say a clinical examination demonstrating coma, brainstem areflexia and apnoea should be used to determine brain death/death by neurologic criteria.

Although the idea of brain death was first recognised in 1959 and the first clinical definition was published in 1968, there has continued to be wide variance in practice internationally and within countries.

Now, five international organisations have come together to create a consensus statement of recommendations based on a review of the literature and expert opinion.

The groups included the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care, the World Federation of Paediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies, the World Federation of Neurology, the World Federation of Neurosurgery and the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses.