Events

Lunch will be provided, RSVP to Allison Christopher if you plan to attend

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Case

A 58-year-old man, RJ, was admitted to the ICU after collapsing at home. He was intubated by EMS and brought to the hospital, where he was found to have a large hemorrhagic stroke resulting in severe damage to his brain and brainstem. After two thorough exams, doctors in the ICU determined that RJ was dead based on neurologic criteria – absence of all brain functions including the brain stem.

RJ is not able to be an organ donor due to underlying medical conditions. However, a researcher at the hospital is conducting a study of a new medical device – a liver dialysis machine. The machine is not considered safe enough to use in a living person, so the researcher is interested in trying the machine in a deceased person over a period of several days to see how it works.

RJ’s family considers whether they should agree for RJ to remain in the ICU to be connected to the liver dialysis machine for the experiment.

Learning Goals and Objectives

1. Describe general practices for research in the recently deceased.
2. Understand the motivations for developing research in the recently deceased as a translational research model.
3. Identify major ethical concerns with research in the recently deceased.