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Sarti AJ, Honarmand K, Sutherland S, Hornby L, Wilson LC, Priestap F, Carignan R, Joanne B, Brewster H, Elliott-Pohl K, Weiss M, Shemie SD. When is a person dead? The Canadian public's understanding of death and death determination: a nationwide survey. Can J Anaesth 2023; 70:617-627. [PMID: 37131025 PMCID: PMC10202975 DOI: 10.1007/s12630-023-02409-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We aimed to describe the Canadian public's understanding and perception of how death is determined in Canada, their level of interest in learning about death and death determination, and their preferred strategies for informing the public. METHODS We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the Canadian public. The survey presented two scenarios of a man who met current criteria for neurologic death determination (scenario 1) and a man who met current criteria for circulatory death determination (scenario 2). Survey questions evaluated understanding of how death is determined, acceptance of death determination by neurologic and circulatory criteria, and interest and preferred strategies in learning more about the topic. RESULTS Among 2,000 respondents (50.8% women; n = 1,015), nearly 67.2% believed that the man in scenario 1 was dead (n = 1,344) and 81.2% (n = 1,623) believed that the man in scenario 2 was dead. Respondents who believed that the man was not dead or were unsure endorsed several factors that may increase their agreement with the determination of death, including requiring more information about how death was determined, seeing the results of brain imaging/tests, and a third doctor's opinion. Predictors of disbelief that the man in scenario 1 is dead were younger age, being uncomfortable with the topic of death, and subscribing to a religion. Predictors of disbelief that the man in scenario 2 is dead were younger age, residing in Quebec (compared with Ontario), having a high school education, and subscribing to a religion. Most respondents (63.3%) indicated interest in learning more about death and death determination. Most respondents preferred to receive information about death and death determination from their health care professional (50.9%) and written information provided by their health care professional (42.7%). CONCLUSION Among the Canadian public, the understanding of neurologic and circulatory death determination is variable. More uncertainty exists with death determination by neurologic criteria than with circulatory criteria. Nevertheless, there is a high level of general interest in learning more about how death is determined in Canada. These findings provide important opportunities for further public engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee J Sarti
- Department of Critical Care, The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
| | - Kimia Honarmand
- Division of Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie Sutherland
- Department of Critical Care, The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Robert Carignan
- Canadian Medical Association Patient Voice, Ponteix, SK, Canada
| | - Brennan Joanne
- Vascular Research, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Sam D Shemie
- Division of Critical Care, Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Shemie SD, Wilson LC, Hornby L, Basmaji J, Baker AJ, Bensimon CM, Chandler JA, Chassé M, Dawson R, Dhanani S, Mooney OT, Sarti AJ, Simpson C, Teitelbaum J, Torrance S, Boyd JG, Brennan J, Brewster H, Carignan R, Dawe KJ, Doig CJ, Elliott-Pohl K, Gofton TE, Hartwick M, Healey A, Honarmand K, Hornby K, Isac G, Kanji A, Kawchuk J, Klowak JA, Kramer AH, Kromm J, LeBlanc AE, Lee-Ameduri K, Lee LA, Leeies M, Lewis A, Manara A, Matheson S, McKinnon NKA, Murphy N, Briard JN, Pope TM, Sekhon MS, Shanker JJS, Singh G, Singh J, Slessarev M, Soliman K, Sutherland S, Weiss MJ, Shaul RZ, Zuckier LS, Zorko DJ, Rochwerg B. A brain-based definition of death and criteria for its determination after arrest of circulation or neurologic function in Canada: a 2023 clinical practice guideline. Can J Anaesth 2023; 70:483-557. [PMID: 37131020 PMCID: PMC10203028 DOI: 10.1007/s12630-023-02431-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
This 2023 Clinical Practice Guideline provides the biomedical definition of death based on permanent cessation of brain function that applies to all persons, as well as recommendations for death determination by circulatory criteria for potential organ donors and death determination by neurologic criteria for all mechanically ventilated patients regardless of organ donation potential. This Guideline is endorsed by the Canadian Critical Care Society, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses, Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation (representing the Canadian Neurological Society, Canadian Neurosurgical Society, Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists, Canadian Association of Child Neurology, Canadian Society of Neuroradiology, and Canadian Stroke Consortium), Canadian Blood Services, the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, the Nurse Practitioners Association of Canada, and the Canadian Cardiovascular Critical Care Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam D Shemie
- McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada.
- McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- MUHC Research Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | | | | | | | - Andrew J Baker
- Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Sonny Dhanani
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Owen T Mooney
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Transplant Manitoba Gift of Life Program, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Aimee J Sarti
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Christy Simpson
- Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Jeanne Teitelbaum
- McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
- McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - J Gordon Boyd
- Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Kirk J Dawe
- Eastern Health, St. John's, NL, Canada
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Christopher J Doig
- University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | | | - Michael Hartwick
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Healey
- Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network), Toronto, ON, Canada
- McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- William Osler Health System, Brampton, ON, Canada
| | - Kimia Honarmand
- Western University, London, ON, Canada
- London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada
| | | | - George Isac
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Aly Kanji
- McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
- McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Joann Kawchuk
- Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | | | - Andreas H Kramer
- University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Southern Alberta Organ & Tissue Donation Program, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Julie Kromm
- University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Allana E LeBlanc
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses, London, ON, Canada
| | - Katarina Lee-Ameduri
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Laurie A Lee
- University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Murdoch Leeies
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Transplant Manitoba Gift of Life Program, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Canadian Critical Care Society, Markham, ON, Canada
| | - Ariane Lewis
- NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Nicole K A McKinnon
- St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Peter Gilgan Center for Research and Learning, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | - Thaddeus M Pope
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Saint Paul, MN, USA
- Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
- Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
- University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Mypinder S Sekhon
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Gurmeet Singh
- Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Singh
- St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network), Toronto, ON, Canada
- University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marat Slessarev
- Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Karim Soliman
- Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network), Toronto, ON, Canada
- Lakeridge Health, Oshawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Matthew J Weiss
- Transplant Québec, Montreal, QC, Canada
- CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Randi Zlotnik Shaul
- St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lionel S Zuckier
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - David J Zorko
- St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bram Rochwerg
- McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Canadian Critical Care Society, Markham, ON, Canada
- Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, Markham, ON, Canada
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